Survival of the Fittest
by BruiserSkinGirl
Summary: Bella is a homeless girl, Edward is a member of organized crime. She's discovered in a dumpster after a hit is carried out by Edward and two others. Will he kill her like he's killed other witnesses? Or will he take her under his wing?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any of S. Meyers characters....

It had been days. Maybe even a week since I had really eaten enough food to satiate the pain I felt in my belly. If it weren't for the rough burning in my chest and throat, I could easily go a few more days. But this was too much. I needed something thick and heavy to eat so that it would squash this fire inside me. I thought about my options as I walked through the alley ways and gutters. I knew the bakeries would have scrap dough in their dumpsters after the sun started to come up. And I knew that there were different types of food in certain parts of town that would have bread and vegetables and even some meat they had thrown out. To most it would sound like I had options available from all over the world to choose from. And yet, every one of the dumpsters that sat behind every one of the cafes, bistros, restaurants, bakeries and stores had something about them that forced me to think out how and when I could climb into them to look for food. It wasn't just so easy to walk up and jump in expecting to find something that someone's wife sent back to the chef. The cooks at the Chinese restaurants threw out buckets of fish guts on top of the expired noodles and rice. There were more cats and rats and roaches in those dumpsters than others. I didn't go there much anymore after getting bitten by a cat and being swatted away by one of the waitresses. And while that beating wasn't so bad, I didn't like the idea of getting bitten by animals that were as hungry and dirty, if not more, than me. I had learned to avoid the alleys that had a lot of bars in them because of all the glass bottles that were mixed in with the trash. A couple of peanuts and a hand full of glass shards was not my idea of a good night. I had discovered that the hard way when I climbed into a dumpster thinking that there would be more food than empty bottles of booze. I still had shards of green glass embedded in the arches of my feet and the palms of my hands. The skin had grown thick but translucent over the gagged edges of the glass leaving me with splotchy looking green bumps on the insides of both of my hands. I had found that the easiest places of late to find food had been in Little Italy. If someone didn't like their pizza or their pasta, the whole order was thrown out. Sometimes, I would find a whole pizza in a box. On those nights I feasted on somewhat fresh food and imagined what had transpired inside where people were unhappy with food and could send it back only to receive a new order and an apology to boot.

I had decided to come back to the alley where I had found a cache of uncooked pasta and moldy cheese a few weeks ago. I figured by now, if anything, there would be another round of expired food thrown out that I could eat. The first dumpster I climbed into was full of heavy black trash bags. Usually, these were better for finding food because the bugs and the rats hadn't gotten to them as quickly as they would if the food were thrown out loose. I started to feel around for the softest bag. It was somewhat noisy as there were a lot of cans and glass in a few of the bags. I found a bag that was softer than the others and started to tear it open. Just as I rested my eyes on what looked like a whole bag of dried up looking noodles and red sauce there was a noise at the door. I looked up to see a huge cook shaking a very large knife at me and heard him yelling at me in a language I knew wasn't English. I didn't argue or try to explain myself. I knew that didn't matter to them. The urge to justify my actions had dissipated a long time ago along with my dignity among other things. I climbed out of the dumpster empty handed and took off down the alley where I knew he wouldn't follow after me. Who was I to him? Just some hood rat messing up his neatly tied up garbage. I was just a homeless girl soiling his dumpster and probably putting his kitchen to shame. When I figured I was far enough away from the knife wielding cook and his precious garbage I hid out until I thought most of the shops and restaurants had closed for the night.

Running hadn't helped my case of hunger burn any. My legs felt weak and my body trembled from lack of calories. At some point during my wait, I had started dry heaving as the acid in my belly began burning stronger than before. I had been hiding in a dead end alley waiting for what smelled and sounded like a pizza place to close its back door for the night when I finally built up the energy, or maybe it was courage, to climb in their dumpster and look for anything remotely edible. I lucked out when I found two left over pizzas stuck together in a bag full of kitchen scraps. Without hesitation I started to eat the less burnt of the two. I had to eat slowly enough to keep from getting sick and hurting my empty stomach but quick enough that the taste didn't linger lest I get sick and throw it back up. In the middle of my focused consumption of the burnt cheese and dough I heard cars pull up next to the dumpster and a door in the alley swing open.

"What the fuck! I didn't take it, I swear!" There were several pairs of food steps and I could hear lots of shuffling.

"Look, idiot, we know you took it. We have three guys in there that said you took it and you've got it stashed at your girlfriend's house. Now either you admit you took it, tell us where we can find it and take the punishment or we can end this now with you, go after your girlfriend and whatever other family we find and end it there too." The man spoke quietly but with a ferocity that I hadn't heard in many years. It reminded me of my dad's tone when he would come into the house drunk after work. It was cold, calculating and full of hatred. I stopped eating, much to the protest of my still empty feeling belly and froze. I knew I shouldn't be hearing this, shouldn't be in the dumpster stealing someone's food, but I also knew that I didn't want to get caught this time. There was a pause of silence and then I heard the voices again.

"I already told you, man, I didn't take it. I didn't steal anything from you. I wouldn't lie about something like this to...." The voice sounded more like a muffled mumble now. It was strange, I could hear the man speaking, and I could hear his teeth clicking against something metal and then I realized there was a gun in his mouth. Before I knew it I was holding my breath waiting for all of the men to leave so I could escape. My body was frozen and straining to hear anything that tipped me off that they were gone. It was dead silent.

Two shots rang out. I heard a thud and then the second voice spoke up again in the same cold tone they had before.

"E, clean this shit up. You two help him out and then go find the girlfriend. Clear her apartment out and give her a one way ticket out of town." There were footsteps and then a car door opened and closed. The car took off. At first there was nothing and I was about to climb out of the bin when I heard more footsteps. I started to breath out of my mouth so I could hear better and keep as quiet as possible.

"Go inside and grab three trash bags and bring the hose out here so we can wash this shit up. Mike, go call the garbage service and tell them they've got a pick up to make ahead of schedule now." The voice was cold and hard like the last one that had given orders, but it wasn't fierce. He sounded irritated and impatient. Those tones I was used to hearing, I could pin point them easily.

A few minutes later the door swung open again and I heard the men shuffling and grunting. They spoke to each other but their voices were low and I couldn't make out what they were saying without leaning forward. I was worried that if I did that, they would hear me shift in the trash and I'd meet the same fate as the thief.

"Put it in the dumpster and we'll wait for the pick up." The voice ordered. I tensed up. Were they talking about this dumpster? I was cursing myself for not paying closer attention to the alley as I snuck into it. I was berating myself for not pushing myself for just another day before I ate because if I had, I wouldn't be in this dumpster listening to this going on only a few feet away from me. I heard the footsteps get closer to me and men breathing heavy. The shadows on the wall behind me grew taller and I knew they were headed towards where I was. I couldn't run. They had guns. Surely they'd shoot me in the back and leave me in a dumpster for the rats to feast on. While it was a fitting end, it was one I wasn't looking forward too at this point in my short, miserable life. I stayed frozen in panic as the two men walked up to the dumpster facing each other but looking down at the new trash they had to throw out. The man standing closest to me was tall with dark skin. He had thick, perfectly formed dreads pulled back into a pony tail and he looked like he was focusing on what was in his hands. The other man practically facing me was a little shorter. He was thin in the face and had blond hair that was greased back shiny. He looked like he was struggling with what was in his hands, but kept up with the taller guy. As they began to lift the body into the dumpster, while they were swinging it they started to count.

"One.....Two.....Three.....WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

The body landed next to me and settled into the trash heap. Two shocked faces stared down at me. I was frozen out of fear staring between them and the heavy body resting up against my trembling arm.

The guy with the dreadlocks opened his mouth before shutting it once. He was breathing heavy and stared at me with such fire in his eyes that I thought he might shoot me right there with the other guy standing right there. He finally spoke.

"E, we've got a big fucking problem."

Realizing what he meant by _problem_, I felt my chest tighten up, my stomach start to churn and my heart started to fire rapidly. There wasn't any air to breath as far as my lungs were concerned. I felt my skin go hot and then cold with sweat. When my vision started to blur I started to blink faster and faster thinking it would clear the quickly fading faces of the two men in front of me.

"What the fuck are you two goin' on abou....." his voice faded when he saw me crouched in the trash bags. I heaved one last time before everything including his pale face and bright eyes faded out to black.

I've been pretty much addicted to for the last four months. ...I have a pretty boring life right now. So this is my first FanFic. I've written one other story but the characters were all mine and it's not done, so it's not posted anywhere. Regardless, I'm not sure how long this is going to be. I'm not one to write solely on the promise of reviews or feedback. I only ask that if you're gonna tear my work to bits, be constructive about it instead of lamely just throwing out useless criticism.

Till next chapter.....

EPOV is coming up soon and more from our homeless girl…


	2. Chapter 2: The Vet

**Thanks to everyone that added me on alerts and favorites. And thanks to the two readers who gave me my first reviews!**

**As usual, I don't own the characters. **

_"E, we've got a big fucking problem."_

I was already irritated with the way the boss had handled Tyler's theft. Killing him in the alley was probably necessary considering he was skimming from us and had been for months. But to do it so sloppily was a little ridiculous. When Laurent said we had a problem, she was not what I was expecting. I thought maybe Tyler was under cover and we found his badge or a mic leaving us with little time to cover our tracks.

"What the fuck are you two goin' on abou....." my voice stopped in my throat when I saw her face. She was as pale as a fuckin' ghost under all that dirt and shit on her face. Between the heavy breathing and her shifty eyes, I wasn't sure what was more startling- seeing a girl next to a dead body or seeing a filthy girl in a fucking garbage dumpster. Either way, this was a problem. She let out a squeak and passed out.

Laurent and Mike looked at me for direction. I said nothing. Having a job like mine meant that I killed men, not women, not children. Not ever. So that was out of the question. I needed more time than this to fucking think about what was going on. The boss didn't need to know about this. Mike and Laurent weren't the most trust worthy guys I knew, that was for fucking sure, and I couldn't leave this up to them. Mike spoke up first. Then Laurent started spouting off ideas.

"We could just knock her off since the garbage truck is on the way, boss."

"That's not a bad idea, boss. She's had to have seen what we did, and she sure as shit saw our faces. We can't leave her here. She'll run to the cops."

"Of course she'll run to the cops boss," Mike started to whine like he was begging me to bend to his will. I had heard enough of their evil little thoughts.

"Enough!" I sighed loudly. "Mike, climb in there and pull her out. Laurent, lay her down in the back seat of my car."

"Boss, she's filthy! I'm not climbing here and getting all fucking dirty too!" I look at Mike with a stunned look on my face. The fucker had just carried a dead body covered in alley water and blood and he was bitching about this? Ridiculous.

"You can do what I told you to do or you can stay in the dumpster with Tyler. Your choice."

He hesitated for only a second before he climbed in and started to move the trash bags around her. He put her arm around his neck and pulled her legs out from under another bag. She was filthy, that was for sure. Her shoes were torn up and had holes in the soles straight through to her dirty feet. Her jeans were a dark brownish blue and riddled with holes. Her shirt was stiff with dirt and grime. Her skin was smeared with dirt and dark grime. It looked like she had been rolling around in dirt and motor oil for a long fucking time. Aside from her clothes and skin, she was skinny and looked sick. Like those girls you see walking down on skid row looking for their next hit. She needed a fucking sandwich.

I watched as Laurent laid out a garbage bag on the back seat of my Cadillac. Mike handed her to Laurent and he carried her to the car. When he got her in the car, he wiped his hands on his suit and looked at me for the next order.

"The two of you are gonna wait here for the trash pickup. I'm gonna take care of her. Until I figure out what she knows from tonight, you two aren't gonna say a mother fuckin' word to anyone about this. Got it?" They nodded like the stupid idiots they were.

"We got it boss." Laurent nodded and nudged Mike when he didn't do anything but look at the girl passed out in my back seat. He mumbled his understanding. I climbed into the car and pulled out of the alley. The first I was gonna do was get this girl checked out by someone to see if she was okay and get her something real to eat. After that, I didn't have a clue where the hell I was gonna take her. I pulled out my phone and called the Vet.

He answered on the second ring.

"What's up Edward, how have you been?"

"Jasper, I'm bringing someone to see you, so be at your clinic in twenty minutes."

"Is Dallas okay? She didn't get hurt did she? Did she eat chocolate again? I told you to keep that stuff away from her."

"Dally's fine. I'm bringing somebody to see you, and I think she's gonna need some medical attention."

He was silent for a few more seconds. He hated that I brought him into my world like this, using him as a doctor when he was just a veterinarian. But he was my brother and one of three people I trusted most in this world.

"I'll be waiting. Tell me, are there any gunshot wounds? I'll need to get certain tools if there are."

"No, no gun shots."

He hung up. I rolled the windows down and let the car air out. Whoever she was, she fuckin' stunk like the trash she had been climbing in. When I pulled up to the back door of his clinic, Jasper opened the door. He was wearing his white coat over his jeans. The look on his face matched mine- pure frustration over the situation. I got the impression, though, it was for different reasons.

I climbed out of the car and opened the rear door. She was still out cold. I could hear her stomach churning but she didn't look like she was going to wake up any time soon. I pulled her out by the shoulders and carried her in my arms through the door to the examination room. Jaspers face changed from frustrated to confused but he didn't speak up until we were inside.

"Lay her on the examination table." I did as he directed and wiped my hands on my jeans. I had started to smell like her. Great. "What happened to her?"

"We found her in a dumpster. She passed out. I figured I should get her checked out, but you know the drill- no hospitals."

He checked her vitals and looked her over. She was still out cold.

"Edward, come outside with me for a minute, I need to ask you a few questions. She'll be fine, I gave her a mild sedative."

I followed him outside and watched him lock the door to the examination room. He looked troubled and overly concerned for some damn reason. My frustration level started to rise when he didn't immediately start asking me questions. He was treating me with kid gloves for some fucking reason and it troubled me.

"After I treat her, are you going to kill her? Because I don't want to be involved in any part of your work that includes killing women- even one that probably saw something she shouldn't have. I'm not going to make her better just so you can get information out of her or torture her or do whatever it is that your kind does."

His words should have cut into me. They didn't though. He was right. I couldn't very well have her nursed back to health just to kill her off. I might be a cold hearted bastard when it came to my job, but I didn't enjoy hurting people, I just filed emotions away when it came to work and that was the easy part. I sat down and sighed. _You trust him, remember. Tell him the truth. _

"Fuck Jasper. I'm not gonna kill her. I told the guys I was going to get her checked out and then get information from her, but I'm not gonna hurt her. That's not what I do. Even if she did see something, I'm not gonna kill her. I don't know what I'm going to do with her, though. That's the fuckin' truth. But I'll work it out. If anything, I'd be happy just making sure she was okay and had a damn hot meal and a shower. No kid, much less a girl, should be living on the streets and eating out of goddamn dumpsters."

He thought about my little honesty speech and nodded.

"Wait here, I'm going to get some supplies. She's dehydrated and needs to rehydrate. She can't get out of the room if she wakes up so don't worry about that. I'll be back in five minutes and then I want you to come in with me and wait till she wakes up."

I nodded and watched him walk by the room. He hesitated for a minute and then walked down the hall to a supply room. I slouched down in my chair wondering exactly what the fuck I was going to do with her when she woke up.


	3. Chapter 3: The Buyer, part 1

I know FF is still working out the kinks of the feedback alerts and shit. For those of you that have left a review, thank you. For those of you that haven't, I dig feedback…so dish some out when you get a chance. As I post this, I'm writing chapter 4 so there'll be more up soon. Thanks for reading what's been brewing in my head. I probably won't update this weekend at all, though. Right now I have no life so it's been easy to sit down and write out a few thousand words. Cheers.

Also, I don't own any of this stuff. But I do know a guy who owns a dog named Dallas. That count for somthin'?

Chapter 3 The Buyer, part 1

"head hung from shame we bear a weight that brings me to a crawl (to a crawl)  
these years of longing tell of decades of unanswered calls (unanswered calls)  
for a change, cause every day we slip and fall  
kicked while were down, our fists clenched into a ball"

–"To Them These Streets Belong" Rise Against

Living on the streets was harder than I had ever imagined when everything came crashing down. I had grown accustomed to the hunger and the dirt. The noise and the unfortunate sleeping arrangements I always found myself in had become a constant in my huge world of chaos. It had been so long since I had been around kind, caring people that being alone didn't seem all that bad anymore. As far as I was concerned, if I could avoid the hateful glances when people walked passed me and I pretended to be asleep and the hurtful words from people that found me pilfering through their trash, without all that, I would be fine existing out here on my own if that was the lot in life I had been assigned.

It had been at least a few months since I had really talked to anyone but myself. There weren't groups of homeless girls around to gossip and confide in. This life and the lot I had left me alone, silent and hungry almost all of the time. I had been thinking about my solitude in this damn concrete jungle full of people better than me when I started to wake up from whatever strange sleep I'd had after passing out in the garbage piles in front of the three killers and the dead body. _Oh, wait, that did happen. Where the hell am I?___I blinked a few times from the dim blue grey light above me. I knew I was in a room somewhere. I didn't hear anyone around me so I squinted and pried my eyes open to survey the room. It looked like a doctor's office. Looking down I realized I was resting on a silver table. It had been years since I had been in a doctor's office, and this looked a little off. Silver tables were in kitchens and veterinarians' offices, not doctors' rooms…_you might be here because you're an animal…or maybe this where they get rid of things like they said last night. _I started to panic. I was wearing the same thing I had been wearing for the last six months. My jeans were caked with mud and filth, my shirt was thick with sweat and grime. My shoes were still on my feet and still slightly damp from the trash so I knew I hadn't been out for that long. I climbed off the table and headed for the door. It was one of those old doors with the frosted glass in them. Reaching for the handle, I wasn't sure where I was, really, or where I was going to go for that matter. My hand hit the cold brass and I tried to turn it. It was locked. To say that it frightened me would be an understatement. I was already terrified of why I was in this room instead of the garbage dumpster I had been in earlier and what would happen when whoever locked the door came back to finish the job they had started. I heard heavy footsteps and panicked even more. Looking around the room there wasn't another way out of the small examination room. There was the metal table I woke up on, a sink and a built in desk area next to it. Trying to hide as best as I could, I climbed under the sink with my back to the door. I tried to breathe as quietly as possible considering I was panting with fear in this tiny room. My belly started to churn and I felt bile rise in my throat. The footsteps grew louder only to pause at the door to the room I was trapped in. They stopped for a moment and then continued on down the hall. Knowing that I was only a few moments away from probable death, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and that the room had just lost all oxygen. The same overwhelming feeling of slipping into darkness I got in the dumpster earlier came back and I blacked out.

Jasper walked back down the hall way and motioned for me to come in the room with him by nodding his head. His hands were full of towels and other shit I didn't recognize. I huffed and stood up. I still hadn't decided what the fuck I was going to do about this girl and how I was going to deal with this whole cluster fuck. I opened the door with his keys and looked around. The girl wasn't where we left her. Jasper pushed his way into the room and closed the door. Not only had this girl stunned me in the alley way, but now I was convinced something about her was just fucking off when she was nowhere to be found in this tiny fucking room.

"EDWARD!" Jasper yelled at me like I was deaf. I must have been standing there for a few more seconds that necessary. "Get out of whatever fog you're in and fucking come pick her up. She's over here!"

Looking at where he was I was a little blown away to see her passed out under the sink. _What the fuck is this shit? _She was hiding. What the fuck was she hiding from? _She's hiding from you, idiot._

I picked her up and set her down on the table. We both watched her for a few minutes before it looked like she was coming around. When she did, her face looked like she was gasping for air after being under water for too long. She looked around at Jasper and at me and started to panic. Tears started to pour out of her bloodshot eyes but she was silent. Aside from the breathing heavy, I woulda' thought she was just fucking weird. But I had seen this look before. I had seen it on the faces of guys I was getting ready to finish when they fucked up and knew what was coming.

"We need to clean you up and make sure you're okay. Are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel any pain?" Jasper spoke to her in a tone that only suggested she didn't understand English. He had no fucking bedside manner. Why should he? That fucker talked to bunnies and dogs and cats all goddamn day. The girl just kept looking in between us crying. Jasper went to reach for a towel to start cleaning her face off when she just screamed. She fucking screamed and then blacked out again. This shit was getting fucking old fast.

"Fucking hell, Jasper! Did you have to scare her so damn bad? This shit is ridiculous. She probably thinks we're gonna kill her. I shoulda just taken her to a motel or some shit…this room even makes me uncomfortable. Meet me at my apartment in the morning and bring the Buyer with you, I'm paying."

He mumbled something about never caring how this room felt before as I picked her up and carried her back out to my car. I drove her to my apartment and carried her inside, up the lift and into my spare bedroom. I set her down on the bed and walked out of the room. It had been a long night and I was fuckin' beat.


	4. Chapter 4: The Buyer, part 2

Sorry for the unexpected shift in perspectives last chapter. I tried to add a divider line…needless to say…Anyway, Here's part two of The Buyer. Like I said in the last chapter, this is probably gonna be the last update this week. I start work work next week so we'll see.

I still don't own anything…well maybe I could stake a claim on this headache I'm sportin'….

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Chapter 4- The Buyer, part 2

"No rules in a scandalous world  
We're gonna have a path to find  
We sit on the top of the world  
And we're proving it every night"

-"Last One To Die" by Rancid. (p.s. they're my favorite band of all time if anyone gives a shit.)

My dreams were their usual run of the mill nightmares about my dad coming home drunk and angry…the rats I fought against for food….and the room I woke up in earlier. At least I thought it was earlier. There was a whimper and then something warm rubbing up against my face. Over and over again. I must have been in the vet's office still because I could swear that there was a dog licking my face. _Yup, that's right stupid girl. They left you with the animals cause that's where you belong, dear. _I turned my head toward whatever it was that was licking me and it stopped for a minute. Then I felt the paw drag itself across my chest. I thought, at first, it was trying to attack me. I jumped out of bed and moved across the room. _When did this room get a bed? Wait, where the heck was I? _The dog that had been licking my face walked over to me huddled in the corner and sat down in front of me. It looked like it was waiting for me to give it a command or something. I had never been around dogs that weren't trying to fight me for food or attack me for invading their space. It walked over to me and sat closer and rested its muzzle on my knee. I let it smell my hand and it nudged forward so I would pet it. This had to be the weirdest thing to happen to me, maybe ever.

"Hi." I felt a little stupid talking to a dog, but then again it had been so long since I had talked to anyone or anything other than myself, it felt a little necessary to see if my vocal chords still worked right. The dog whimpered and walked away from me towards the door. _Fucking figures, you speak to someone and they walk away from you. You should know better than to try and make friends. No one wants to be friends with a homeless girl. Not even a damn dog. _She stopped at the door, turned back around to me and sat down looking at me. I stared at her for a couple of minutes before I stood up. The room started to spin and I knew it was time to find something to eat. Had my pilfering not been interrupted by killers in the alley I could have been over this exhaustion and burning belly ache by now. I braced myself against the bed and started to slowly walk towards the dog and the door that was halfway open. She stood up again and acted excited that I was walking towards her. _She must be hungry._ I followed after her through the strange apartment. It had been years since I had seen the inside of someone's house. _Now where the hell are you?_ There wasn't much laying around to clue me in on who's house I was in, if it was even a house. There were black and white photographs everywhere of buildings in the city, but no family pictures. _You're probably in the damn hospital for dogs still. That would explain your wake up call._ I followed the dog out to the living room area and found myself facing a huge open kitchen, an open living room set against a huge wall of windows. _This doesn't look like any vet's office. _The dog walked into the kitchen and sat next to an empty bowl.

"Hungry, huh? Yeah, me too, me too." I looked around trying to decide where I'd find food for the dog. I saw the sink and remembered my dad leaving food for the cat under there. Opening the drawer I saw two things that looked familiar to me. A bag of dog food and a trash can full of wasted food and containers.

Pushing back the urge to go through the garbage for something to eat before feeding the dog, I pulled out dog food and poured some in the silver bowl in the floor. The dog sat there and waited for me, just staring at me like it knew what I was going to do as soon as it started eating. I looked at the dog and then back at the trash.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Eat." I might have been saying it more to myself than to the dog, trying to give myself permission to look through the trash for edible morsels of food. She started eating diligently. As soon as she wasn't looking at me like I was the disgusting rat I thought of myself as, I started to pick through the trash. I had gotten halfway through the bin with no luck of finding anything but wrappers and empty cardboard boxes when I heard someone behind me.

"What the fuck are you doing?" startled I stood up too quickly and hit my head on the sink. Stumbling backwards and falling onto my ass I reached behind my head and felt warm sticky blood on my fingers. I looked up to see the same face I had in the dumpster and the vet's office staring down at me with a furiously confused expression on his face. Nothing really formed in my brain to say that made sense at first. He waited, the dog kept eating.

"I……I…..I was….hun…..hungry. I'm….um….sorry." Blinking a few times, I started to sway my head from the lack of food and the now throbbing headache. The man standing in front of me didn't move. But he looked at me and then back at the trashcan with pursed lips. He shifted his gaze from me one last time and then looked at the big silver fridge in front of us both.

"There's a whole fucking fridge stocked with fresh food and I find you digging in my damn trash. What's wrong with you?" He wasn't yelling at me. He was obviously angry, though. Knowing in the back of my mind that this was the guy that probably pulled the trigger and ordered the body to be dumped in the alley I wanted to do nothing more than apologize and leave.

"I'm sorry. It's what I'm used to, it's the first place I look for food. I didn't mean to cause a mess or ruin your trash."

He let out a huge breath and shook his head. "Go sit at the table, I'll bring you something to fresh to eat. Any requests?"

_Did he just ask me for suggestions on food? _"I'll eat anything." I shrugged my shoulders. I watched him smirk and shake his head. "No shit?" I looked at him with a stupid look on my face I'm sure. _Was he asking me if I ate shit? Or doing that thing when people aren't surprised but can't just say something like that? _I pushed myself up off the floor. Using the counter top as a crutch I lead myself to the table and sat down. The dog finished eating and came over to me. She rested at my feet and looked up at me. Part of me was glad she had eaten since I guessed she was hungry. Another part of me, though, was really pissed at her for leading me out of the room I was in only to come face to face with a guy who could kill me, and probably was. My head was throbbing. I was hungry and the last thing I needed was to spend more face time with someone that would kill me for doing just that. Feeling defeated I put my head down on the table and started to silently cry.

A few minutes later a plate was slid in front of me along with a fork and a glass of milk. I lifted my head and inhaled the smell of eggs and bacon and fruit. I looked up at the man standing in front of me and he turned his head squinting his eyebrows at me.

"Why are you crying?" he looked genuinely confused.

After all I had been through I was exhausted enough not to care about being rational or polite. Looking up at him I couldn't help but think about how unnecessary a last meal really was.

"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with. Don't even bother with the food, you'd just be wasting it, anyway."

He chuckled a little under his breath. His hand reached down and rubbed against my head. I cowered away but he reached in and under my matted hair. Pulling his fingers out and rubbing them together, I saw blood on them. His face went serious again and he stared me down.

"I'm not going to kill you. Now eat what's there. If you're still hungry afterwards, there's more in the kitchen. After you eat, I'm gonna take a look at that cut. Any questions?"

I could think of only one.

"Is it poisoned?"

He reached down and loaded the fork with bacon and eggs and shoved it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed.

"I wouldn't waste my time cooking a meal just to have it kill someone. That's what a revolvers for. Now eat, damnit." He walked off and left me with the dog to eat my meal. It was fucking delicious. When I was finished I stood up and walked back into the kitchen. There was more in the skillet just like he had said. I put the rest of the food on my plate and walked back to the table. He walked back into the dining area.

"How's the food?" he sat across from me.

"It's delicious. Thank you." There was a bit of silence between us until the dog shifted and sat up next to me putting its face in my lap again.

"I see you've met Dallas." He pointed to the dog. "She usually hides from everyone. She's a rescue dog." I smirked a little feeling much the same as I'm sure Dallas did when he brought her back here.

"She's very sweet." I reached down to let her lick my bumpy palm when he looked at my hand. He cut his eyes towards my palm and then at the table.

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here. And who the fuck I am." I looked up at him a little shocked that he would offer information like this to me. I pulled my hand away from Dallas and she started to paw my lap to get my attention again. He smirked a little at her action towards me but did didn't look up at me once.

"The only thing I've been wondering is if you were going to kill me now or later. I'm not really sure why I'm here and why you or your dog are being so nice to me. But like I said, you shouldn't waste your time."

He didn't get the angry look back on his face like I was expecting. Instead he just pulled his mouth up to a near smile and looked at me.

"My name's Edward."

"Bella"

"Look, I brought you here so you could get some food and a hot shower. I'm not gonna fuckin' kill you."

I started to gather what little bit of hope I could muster to ask the next question...."Does that mean I can leave now? I need to find somewhere to sleep before the sun goes down today." I wasn't quite sure why I felt it necessary to explain my needs. He hesitated for a minute and then spoke up again.

"So….you can't leave….but I'm not gonna kill you or hurt you or any shit like that." I was slightly surprised about the fact that I couldn't leave. But then again, considering the circumstances, maybe having food to eat and a place to be for now wasn't all that bad….._depending on what's expected of you in return, dumb ass. _

_____________________________ _____________________________________ ___________________

There's gonna be a part three to this for me to finish it. I'm fuckin' tired and have to be up early apparently. Drop me a review to let me know what you think. Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5: The Buyer, part 3

About that abrupt ending in the last chapter…. I had anticipated being able to type a lot quicker than I really did. Something about getting up at 4 am, working all day, and then writing till midnight doesn't make me quick on the keys. Nonetheless, I'm back to finish this chapter and then I really wont update for a while. I've got a little math problem for you though. There were 644 hits on my story today, twelve reviews total and about 20 alerts/favorite adds. Add that up and what's it equal? A lot of quiet readers. Which, in all honesty, should be the case so as not to disturb other readers…but it would be nice to hear what you think. I don't own the characters. But I do own a Cadillac.

Chapter 5- The Buyer, part 3

"I've told myself this a million times before.

But sometimes something seems to hold me right down to the core. …..

Over and over again I think of what it could have been…….

Only you know where you stand in life."

-"Stand Up" Street Dogs

I stood there thinking about what he said. I'm not gonna get hurt, but I can't leave. I had to admit to myself that there were ups and downs to this whole thing. I knew he was hiding the reason why, and I'm sure if I thought about it hard enough I could figure out why, but I was too tired to care. He seemed to be thinking about the same things 'cause when he spoke up it was the exact same thing running through my mind.

"I'm sure you're tired n shit. You can sleep in the bedroom you found yourself in if you want to."

I thought about it for a minute. I really didn't want to soil the bedroom with my dirty clothes and hair, but I didn't want to ask for anything more than what he had already offered. I got the impression real quick that this was not the kind of man you ask tedious insignificant things from like a change of clothes. I looked around the room at everything in it but him. Even though I was apparently being held as a captive of sorts, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt like I was a burden on him. When I thought about the fact that he would be going on about his business and I'd be asleep in a dumpster had it not been for me and my greed, then I felt guilty.

"Thank you" I mumbled still feeling conflicted about what I was doing here and how much I was bothering him. "I'm sorry for this, too." I must have said the last bit so quietly he didn't acknowledge it at all.

"Don't mention it." He waved me on as he settled on the couch in front of a huge tv on the wall. Dallas was sitting at his feet as I started to walk back down the hall towards the bedroom. I climbed into bed and started to think about everything going on around me. Tears started to pour out of my already stinging eyes and I just let them fall. I heard him mumble something in the living room and then heard Dallas strut down the hall way. She nudged her head in the room, jumped on the bed, licked my face and snuggled in close to me. I wrapped my arm around her and fell asleep quickly. Something about not fearing who might mug you in your sleep or what rodent might try and take a bite out of you left me in a deep quiet sleep.

_______EPOV______

I had been cleaning my gun in the office when I heard Dallas whimpering. _She's hungry._ I walked out of the office putting the gun in the back of my waistband. When I turned the corner to the kitchen I was more than disturbed to see the girl awake and digging through the trash under my sink. _Old habits die hard, asshole. You should know that. I bet she's hungry too. And fuck Dallas is eating better than her right now. _Before my brain could come up with some way to ask her to stop, I snapped as usual.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She jumped and smacked her head against the frame of the counter. That shit musta hurt cause she fell back on her ass looking up at me. _You're an idiot, Cullen. Don't fuckin' scare the girl. _l was still really stunned that she had been digging in my trash. Confusion set in when I couldn't rationalize digging in a trash can when there was a huge double sided fridge a few feet away full of fresh food. She mumbled an apology, for what I don't know. And without thinking I snapped at her again. She apologized again explaining herself this time. What I couldn't get my mind around was that she apologized for fucking up my trash. _Who the hell apologizes for messing up trash in a trash can? She's got issues, asshole, can't you see that?_

I waved her off after all of it and asked her what she wanted to eat. It was a stupid question. _Food. Duh. _I made her what I figured would go down easy and was quick to make. I could cook just fine. But I didn't want to make her something she might not want to eat and I didn't want to make her feel obligated. When I walked over to her with the food, she looked like she was asleep with her head on the table. But when she looked up the food I could see her red rimmed eyes were puffy and her cheeks were streaked with tears. Genuine concern came over me for a split second. But then she gave some smarmy answer and it was gone. When she told me I'd be wasting my time feeding her only to kill her, I laughed. It's how most of the guys did it back in the day—take em out to eat, leave to go to the bathroom, they come back to discover their lunch partner's been whacked by a new waiter that's up'ed n disappeared. She looked back down at her food and I saw the blood on the back of her shirt.

I wasn't really thinking about technicalities or personal space when I reached for her head to see how bad it was. I mean, technically I was keeping her hostage. And technically, she didn't know it yet. And technically, her personal space was off limits for a number of fuckin' reasons—number one being I didn't fucking know her and she didn't fucking know me.

She asked me if I poisoned her food. To prove to her that I wasn't gonna fuck with her food, I took a huge fork full into my mouth and swallowed it down. Never mess with someone's food. I left her sitting there for a minute to wash off my hands and put up my gun. After all her questions about me trying to kill her off or not, and I didn't want to accidentally flash my piece and freak her out. That's not what this was about. I walked back into the dining room to see she had gotten seconds. _Good, she needs to eat twice that amount for a fuckin' month just to fill out like a normal girl her size. _

Dallas was paying her way more attention than she had any other person ever to step foot in my life. When I told her she was a rescue dog, the girl got a look on her face that looked like she could relate to the idea easily. And I guess she could- but there was another side to the rescue, just like with Dallas, that I was gonna keep her. Whether it was for her safety or my selfishness, that was debatable. When I saw her hand I felt unquenchable rage rush through me. Her pale skinned palm was bumpy like gravel with chunks of green under the skin. It looked like glass. I didn't say anything, but she watched my face as a stared at her hand and then the table. I didn't want to scare her but I wanted to know why the fuck she had glass up under her skin.

I wasn't quite sure how to start off the conversation about who I was and why she was here, so I offered to tell her. She brought up the killing and the wasting of my time again when I offered to give her a little more information on who I was. It was a little cute to see her so bent on thinking less of herself than anyone else. Had it not been so self depreciating, it would have made her look really humble. I introduced myself.

"Bella" she said it with such a flat tone in her voice. She wasn't proud of her name. _She didn't even give you a last name. What kind of shit is that? _She wasn't happy to meet me. _Consider the circumstances. _I had to explain myself again about the whole not-killing her bit. She didn't seem convinced. She asked if she could leave and gave her reasoning why. I tried to calmly explain that she couldn't leave. I didn't want her to think she was being held prisoner. I wasn't going to hurt her or push her for information. After talking to Jasper about her I had decided I was going to try and help her get off the streets and away from the guys in my crew that would want to hurt her. I just didn't know how I was gonna do that yet. She looked tired so I suggested she go back to her room and rest up some more. She thanked me and apologized for _this_. I figured she meant the whole fucked up situation, but she mighta just meant she was sorry. I sat down on the couch to watch the news when she walked back to the bedroom. Dallas was waiting for me to invite her to the couch so she could snuggle up against me.

"Dally, go check on her, baby. Keep her company, okay?" I gave her a pet and she went on her way to sleep next to Bella.

………….

A few hours had gone by when I got the call that Jasper and the buyer were coming up. When I opened the door to the apartment it looked like the entire hallway was full of fucking shopping bags.

"Goddamn, Alice. Did you buy the whole fucking mall again?" Alice was who I called the buyer. She could buy anything anywhere anytime and not only did she not worry about the price but she never, never, ever ran out of energy for shopping.

"Jasper told me about her so I bought the basics. I'll send you the bill as usual. Oh, and my team is on their way up, there wasn't enough room in the elevator." She giggled and kissed me on the cheek as she walked passed me. I nodded to Jasper as he carried in as many bags as he could. I helped with the rest.

"Jasper, how much did she blow this time?" He rolled his eyes at me.

"It's probably over five large."

"Wanna put it on my tab?" This time he laughed.

"Fuck your tab, you're paying off the balance on that damn card for all of this shit."

"Fair enough. Make yourself comfortable." Jasper came in and sat down on the couch. Alice asked if she could go back and wake Bella up. I agreed it was okay as long as she was subtle about it. When her hench people, I mean, assistants showed up, I opened the door and let them in.

_____BPOV

I was having a dream about my mother calling my name. it sounded so real. And then I felt someone rubbing my shoulder. I hugged Dallas tighter to me and tried to pull away from whoever it was trying to wake me up.

"Bella? Wake up sweetheart, I have a treat for you"

I didn't recognize the voice and that freaked me out a little considering I didn't know anyone here. I slowly rolled over and opened my eyes. There was a perky woman standing over me with dark spiky hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was smiling and happy and seemed really damn friendly.

"Bella, wake up dear. We need to get started."

I was still confused. _Who is this? Get started on what? _I must have said the last thought out loud because she answered me like she was a damn mind reader.

"We're gonna get you cleaned up and changed. Com'on!"

___________________________________________________________________________________

I'm starting to enjoy leaving chapters open ended like this. Let me know if you hate it so I can enjoy screwing up someone's day. Night night!


	6. Chapter 6: TOD Remembered

Disclaimer: Another weekend is almost upon us and I plan to write a few more chapters over the course of Saturday and Sunday. No promises though. Thank you to everyone that reviewed and/or added me. I'm gonna hold out on Bella's whole past for a lil bit longer. Also, I don't own Twilight or Indiana Jones. …betcha never thought you'd hear about those two stories in the same sentence…

Chapter 6: T.O.D. Remembered

The girl led me out of the bedroom into another bedroom and into a bathroom bigger than bedroom itself. There were two women wearing uniforms looking at their tools instead of me waiting in the bathroom. One of them was standing next to a chair and the other one was standing next to a tub on the floor by the chair. I just stood there wondering what the heck was going on.

"Bella? Have a seat, honey." I looked at the woman with wide eyes.

"What? Why?" I must have sounded rude or silly because she scoffed at my questions.

"Oh my. Okay, well, Edward asked me to help you get cleaned up. Sooo in order for that to happen properly, you're going to get a haircut, massage and your nails done. And that's just for starters. I got you a wardrobe's worth of pieces in the bedroom I want you to go through when you're done here." As she explained everything to me, she led me to the seat and pushed me down in it gently.

"Um." I looked up at her and around at the two girls waiting to get started.

"What's the matter, Bella?" the girl looked confused.

"Thanks uh….."

"Oh, gosh, where are my manners? I'm Alice, Edwards sister. I'm married to Jasper, he said he met you earlier. Don't worry there's time for all of this later. Right now I want you to relax and enjoy the makeover."

"Thanks, Alice." As I thanked her the girl leaned me back over a sink to wash my hair. She started to put soap in it, something I hadn't done in months. I had been able to shower at a shelter in the city but after getting enough of my belongings stolen, I gave up trying to wash up there. The girl had amazing fingers. She gently scratched my scalp as she worked her way over my entire head. She rinsed the stuff out and put something else in that smelled like mint. I closed my eyes and started to relax more. The other girl put my feet in warm water and started to put lotion on my arms. I was starting to forget that this was all temporary and that I'd be back on the streets soon enough.

I must have drifted off to sleep from all of the gentle, soothing contact. My sleep, however long or short it was, was interrupted by a sharp pain shooting through the palms of my hands. I screamed, jumping out of the chair. I ran into the bedroom and tried to wedge myself between the bed and the wall for protection. I could hear the girls wearing the uniforms yelling for 'Mrs. Brandon' and 'Mr. Cullen' but not me. Looking down at my hand there were pieces of green glass covered in broken skin and lots of blood oozing out of my hand. I started to get light headed and fade in and out when I heard footsteps running towards me.

______EPOV

Jasper and I had been sitting here on this fucking couch for an hour. Alice was sorting her purchases for Bella and we were just flipping through the channels. I was anxious about the girl getting nervous about the stuff Alice had done for her. Did she really need to bring two fucking beauticians with her? _Didn't you say you wanted to help her? She probably needs some major attention to her hygiene, dude._

I had just settled on a classic movie channel when we heard an ear piercing scream come from my bathroom. We both jumped up and started to walk towards the bathroom where we were met by two very startled assistants. They were yelling for me and Alice to go after the girl.

"What the fuck happened?" I snapped at the two of them out of frustration. I had told Bella I wouldn't hurt her. I knew that also meant getting hurt under my roof, I wondered now if she'd be back to distrusting everything I said.

"Mr. Cullen, I'm so sorry. I was starting her manicure with an arm massage. She was asleep. So I picked up her hand and started to do a deep tissue massage to the muscles in her palm when she screamed and ran out of the room into the bedroom. I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean to hurt her, I swear!"

I waved the girl off and walked to towards my bedroom. Alice was fanning a very passed out Bella when I walked up on the two of them. Her right hand was bloody and torn up.

"How the fuck did a manicure do this to her? Alice, what the fuck did you order?" I was yelling. Alice was staring at her hands as she held them palms up for me to see. When she spoke, she was surprised, curious and angry.

"Edward, look at her hands. She's got glass embedded in both of them deep enough to have skin grow over them. My nail tech must have pushed some of the glass through when she started working on her hands. Her feet have glass in them too. I can't feel the shards, but I can see them." She showed me her feet also riddled with green and brown spots. "I'll go get Jasper."

Alice stood up and left the room. I picked Bella up and rested her on my bed. I could smell the products in her hair. Her hair smelled clean and a little bit like rose petals and strawberries. I usually didn't take like the girly scents, but this one….l took a deep breath as I put her down on my bed and rested her bloody hand on her stomach. Jasper walked in just as Bella was coming to. She looked up at both of us standing over her and then at her hands. Panic flashed across her face and she tried to jump off the bed.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get blood anywhere. I'm clean, I swear. I'll just go clean this up." She was frantic. There were tears running down her face silently. She pushed past the two of us standing there looking dumbfounded and went into the bathroom. I could hear her hissing and assumed tears were soon on their way.

"Jasper, I need to you get that shit out from under her skin, hands and feet." He nodded and turned for the bathroom. I started to follow after him when Alice grabbed my arm and held me back.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I had no intention of hurting her." Alice was seriously apologizing to me. It was like the girl had been more to me, like she was my fucking wife, and Alice had wronged her horribly.

"Alice, relax. It was an accident and we can fix it. It's not a huge deal." She quirked an eyebrow at me and gave me the look that said she knew I wasn't telling the truth and there was more to the damn story. Okay, so I was trying to act calm so she wouldn't guess that I had just been lusting for this girls scent as I put her on my bed. It didn't fucking work.

"Edward, I know it's a big deal to you. I saw it on your damn face when you came running in here and picked her up and put her on _your _bed. Has another woman been on that bed? I know how you operate, you insist on keeping the strange at a distance. Far enough away that they never even see the color of your stupid ass expensive, butler'ed front door."

There was no sense in arguing with this damn girl. Most of the time her hunches were on point enough that there was at least a little room to expect what she was predicting would come true. And for some reason, I couldn't push down the feelings of protectiveness I was feeling for Bella. After all, I had dragged her back to my place. I hadn't just whacked her in the dumpster and left it at that. There was something about this girl.

BPOV_____

When I came to there was a shooting pain in my right hand. That wasn't what startled me, though. The two angry faces that came into focus as I blinked jarred me the most. Looking at them I could tell that they were very angry at me. I looked at my hand and saw blood running down my arm. I was so embarrassed about what had happened. I didn't know what Edward would do to me since I had bled all over the bathroom and bedroom. I knew what he was capable of. Once again, though, I hoped that today wasn't the day I learned what his capabilities felt like.

I pushed my way between them feeling the shame overwhelm me. Tears were pouring out and I ran to the bathroom to clean myself up. I started running my hand under cold water and it burned. The stinging and burning made my tears flow heavier and faster. I put my head down on the sink. I was quietly chastising myself when I heard someone sigh behind me. A shutter jolted through me and I started apologizing before I could even look up to see who it was.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin this. I just need to wash my hand and wrap it in some newspaper." I started to cry heavier when I thought about how stupid this must sound to anyone in this place because none of them were homeless, and they probably had better ways of getting bleeding to stop.

"Bella." I jumped when I didn't recognize the voice. Looking up I saw the same blonde haired man I had seen standing by me when I was in the vets office. I didn't understand why, if he was so angry, he was standing there looking at me and not making a noise otherwise. I was so confused and ashamed. His wife had done something nice for me and I couldn't even stop from ruining that.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to ruin all of your wife's plans. I didn't think about this. I should have just…"

"Bella. Have a seat on the toilet lid. I need to take a look at your hands and feet." I wrapped my hand in my shirt to stop it from dripping watery blood all over the bathroom and sat down hunched over. I was shaking horribly when I extended my hand out to the vet. He was crouched on the floor in front of me with the same pissed off look on his face as when I had come to. He sighed heavily.

"I'm so sorry. Please don't be angry with me. It won't happen again. I'll keep my hands to myself, I promise. I didn't mean…" I was rambling and he stopped me by holding one of his hands up in the air. I flinched thinking he was going to hit me.

"We're going to have to remove the glass from your hands and feet, Bella. No one should have this in their skin. Wait here, I'll be back in a few moments."

The way he delivered his directions made me feel ashamed. _No one should have glass in their hands and feet. How stupid do you have to be?_ Tears continued to silently fall down my face.

Alice came back into the bathroom and began apologizing to me frantically. I told her it was my fault and she stopped talking for a moment, just staring at me. She quietly came and sat next to me as the vet walked back in with a black bag and two metal bowls.

"Alice, love, fill this with warm water, please." He spoke to her with such love and compassion, I felt ashamed again to be in their presence.

"Of course, Jasper. What else can I do?" The vet's name was Jasper. Jasper waved her off with the bowl in her hand. He looked at me carefully. I was still overwhelmed with shame and guilt and fear.

"I don't have any money to replace the carpet or the bed sheets I….I bl….bled on, sir." My words came out in broken stutters. "I'm so sor….sorr…..sorry, sir." Jasper stopped what he was doing and looked at me with a stunned look on his face for a few seconds longer than I thought he should. He sighed heavily.

"Bella, Edward isn't going to make you pay for this. Honey, he was worried about you and sent me in to fix this for you. No one should have anything like this embedded under their skin. So I'm going to numb your hands, then feet, and cut out the glass. This might take a while. So we're gonna clean you up and set this up in the living room where you can be more comfortable."

I had stopped hearing his words after he said that Edward was worried about me. _That doesn't make any sense. What does he care? This is getting strange. You're being held hostage by someone that gives a flip about your well being? It's a damn trap. _The look on my face must have made him curious because he didn't ask me if I could get up or if I had questions.

"Bella, why does that make you angry?" His question brought me out of my internal rant.

"Huh?"

"The look on your face, you look like you're angry from getting scolded." Jasper waited for me to respond while still holding my bloody hand in his.

I shook my head and said it was the sight of the blood. It wasn't. But I wasn't about to question the surgeon guy about Edwards intentions as if I didn't appreciate them trying to help me.

I followed Jasper into the living room and waited for more directions. I didn't want to put myself somewhere that Edward wouldn't like since I was still bleeding. Jasper led me to the dining room table and sat me down. He pulled out cotton swabs and liquids that had prescription labels on them. Took out a needle and looked at me. He could see the trepidation written on my face.

"This is going to numb your hand completely so you won't feel what I'm doing at all. It's called a nerve blocker." I nodded. I had gotten shots before when I was a kid. I had glass in my hands. What was one needle?

Jasper pulled out a scalpel and tweezers. It was only then I realized that there was going to be a lot more blood.

"Can I close my eyes? The sight and smell of blood makes me pass out." The same look of shock passed across his face momentarily.

"Edward?" Jasper didn't stop looking at me when he called my captive over to the table. I looked at the floor immediately to avoid his angry face. My anxiety picked up and I started to breath heavily. Being near this man made me nervous, anxious, ashamed and curious all at the same time. I felt like I was getting emotional whiplash.

"What's wrong?" Edward didn't sound pleased Jasper had called him over.

"Turn the temperature down to 65 and get Bella something to wear while I do this. The temperature will keep the blood smell from getting too bad and I don't want her to get cold. Also, bring her a pillow to rest her head on while I work. She might pass out."

Edward didn't say anything in return. I didn't see his face. I watched the tips of his black boots turn and walk away from the table. I could hear Edward and Alice bickering in the bedroom and my shame came back in waves. Tears started to run down my face.

"I know it hurts, honey. But we'll get this over with soon. When Edward brings you a pillow I want you to rest your head on it and point your face away from what I'm doing."

"_It_ doesn't hurt, sir. I'm just so confused. First I think he's going to kill me that night, then again the next day when he made me breakfast. For the last 36 hours I've been wondering when I'm going to blink for the last time because of what I saw. And here I wake up today to being waited on like I'm a customer at a store. And now you're offering to perform surgery on my hands and feet and you say that he asked you to help me. But I can't leave. But I'm being taken care of. I just don't understand. Am I'm being prepped for a sacrifice? Because I saw that once when I was a kid. There was this movie…where the girl gets taken prisoner and people try to rip her heart out. I'm not worth any of it. I can't pay you or him back. I don't have anything for the doctor bills or for the hair cut…nothing."

Jasper was silent. The entire apartment was silent. Then I heard a heavy sigh followed by footsteps. A pillow and a hooded sweatshirt was shoved in my face but no one made a sound. I looked up to see Edward staring down at me with his eyebrow cocked up and his lips pursed together like he was incredibly annoyed with me. Shame returned when I knew that Edward had heard my ungrateful rant.

"Thank you. And…I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any disrespect, sir."

He mumbled something I didn't understand and walked away with heavy steps. I turned to Jasper. He took the sweatshirt and scrunched it up so I could put my arms and head through it. I thanked him, put the pillow on the table, rested my head on the pillow and pulled up the hood over my head. Jasper said he was starting, but I couldn't feel anything in my hand below my elbow.

I tried to drift off to sleep so I wasn't tempted look over at what Jasper was doing. I could hear Alice and Edward fighting in a room down the hall. I sighed heavily and finally drifted off to sleep.

___________________________________________ _________________________________________

**Thank you for all of your reviews and adds. I'll post another one soon since I've found that this is a great way to wind down after a hectic day. For those of you waiting to learn more about Bella's past…that'll be a couple chapters away. For those of you waiting for Edward's character to develop…that's coming up next and will develop further as the chapters progress. **

**Toodles. **


	7. Chapter 7: It's a Long Way Up

Disclaimer…SM owns it all.

A/N: So some people have wondered why Edward and Jasper were pissed. Keep in mind that that was through Bella's perception. Thank you for the reviews and adds. Things are gonna pick up soon. Keep up the reviews, I dig 'em.

"_You say you're down on your luck_

_Hey baby it's a long way up_

_Hold back now, hold back your fears._

_You say you're really down and out_

_And you feel like there's no way out now._

_Let go, let go of your tears some more."_

_-Footprints on My Ceiling, Social Distortion_

Jasper was in the bathroom helping Bella. Alice followed after him shortly after giving me the third damn degree about my intentions and Bella's safe keeping. I walked to the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. I had wanted to go in there after her. I figured, though, that seeing me would only scare her more. She'd seemed scared enough as it was considering she had panicked about bleeding everywhere when she came to. Alice stormed through the hallway with force straight towards me.

"That poor girl is in there admitting she doesn't have the money to pay for your carpet and bed sheets and you're sitting out here drinking a beer? What the hell is wrong with you Edward?" Alice's voice was sharp and bitter.

"I don't wanna scare her more than she already is." I kept a calm tone as responded to my sisters' anger.

"She's fucking balling in there….you need to do something." The calm tone didn't last. I didn't like hearing about her fucking crying when all I was doing was trying to help her. This was starting to feel ridiculous.

"Alice, what the fuck do you want me to do? I didn't put her on the streets. I'm not responsible for her having glass under her skin. Fuck, I'm not even responsible for making her motherfucking bleed today. Last time I checked, that was on you!" She cut her eyes at me and then started in on me again.

"I want you to make her feel welcome her even under these circumstances! You need to let her know you're protecting her from the idiot thugs you work with! She can't stop crying and she's overwhelmed with guilt for no fucking reason!!" Alice had cussed more in the last thirty minutes than I had heard from her all last year. It would have been really funny if it hadn't been directed at me.

"That's what I'm fucking doing!" I started to yell at her and then remembered that I wasn't trying to frighten the hell out of the girl in my bathroom. "Jasper asked me to get her a pillow and a hoodie so she'll be comfortable while he's extracting all that damn broken glass. I don't know what else I can do right now. I'm not fucking happy she's as bad off as she is. But it's not like I can fucking snap my fingers and have her be happy-go-lucky. The damn girl was living in a fucking dumpster. No amount of attention or help can fix that shit over night." With that I grabbed Bella's pillow and her hoodie and walked out into the hallway.

I could hear Jaspers' voice softly giving Bella directions when her words cut through me quickly.

"_It doesn't hurt, sir. I'm just so confused. First I think he's going to kill me that night, then again the next day when he made me breakfast. For the last 36 hours I've been wondering when I'm going to blink for the last time because of what I saw. And here I wake up today to being waited on like I'm a customer at a store. And now you're offering to perform surgery on my hands and feet and you say that he asked you to help me. But I can't leave. But I'm being taken care of. I just don't understand. Am I'm being prepped for a sacrifice? Because I saw that once when I was a kid. There was this movie…where the girl gets taken prisoner and people try to rip her heart out. I'm not worth any of it. I can't pay you or him back. I don't have anything for the doctor bills or for the hair cut…nothing."_

How in the hell was I going to convince her that I wasn't going to kill her? Or that I wasn't interested in making her pay for any of her actions and accidents? _Damn this girl loathes herself_. In that moment I wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around her to comfort her. _What? You never want to do that shit. Even your mom thinks you have issues about your personal space. Why would you want to share it with someone when you're not in bed with them?_

I shook off the urge to reach out and touch her. I handed her the pillow and the hoodie. It was probably too low for her to hear, but I wished out loud that she'd feel better soon and walked away. Something about standing there waiting for Jasper to finish working on her hands and feet made me uncomfortable and so I figured it'd make her even more uncomfortable. I walked back into the bedroom to a very pissed off looking Alice.

"What the fuck, Alice? I'm not gonna sit there and watch while it's done. I'm taking Dallas out for a run. We'll be back in a few hours." She just stared at me as I put on my running shoes and grabbed Dally's leash.

"You're unbelievable. The least you could have done was talk to her for a minute. Why can't you just let her know you're not gonna fuck her up?" I had had enough of her nagging at me. My mind was made up and I was going to go about helping this girl in my own damn way.

"Damnit, Alice, just go in there and be there for her like you want to. I'll be back in a bit and I'll talk to her when I'm fucking ready."

I walked Dallas out through the living room. Bella was asleep on the pillow. Her hand was bloody and there was a pile of glass shards in the bowl Jasper had in front of him. She still wasn't completely cleaned up after us finding her in the dumpster, but at least this was being taken care of. On my list of things to take care of, getting the glass out of her was more important than a damn shower. I spoke quietly so as not to disturb her.

"Jasper", I swallowed hard, "how is she?" He looked up at me, his lips were pressed together and he had a worried look on his face but he nodded.

"Her right hand is almost done. I'm going to clean and bandage it before I have to wake her. Then I'll start on her left hand."

"Do you have to wake her? She looks pretty peaceful." Jasper looked at me funny for a second and then continued on.

"I'm going to wake her to give her a sedative. Her hands and feet are going to hurt for quite a while as they heal. The glass was a lot deeper than I thought and I had to cut some muscle tissue."

"Call me if she needs anything. I'll be back in two hours." Jasper nodded again.

Dallas and I ran for a while. As we ran I kept trying to map out how I was going to get her out of the city and put her somewhere safe. I couldn't have any of what happened getting back to the boss and I wanted Bella to be safe no matter what. Even though for any other unnecessary whiteness, this wouldn't have been something I gave a second thought to. I would have just wasted them where I found them and left it at that. But this girl…damn. She was different. I wasn't sure why I felt the urges I felt around her, but she made me nervous and self conscious and filled me with a desire to reach out and touch her. _Well, that may just be your dick._ Nah, this girl, there was something to her. I was just so fucking curious about her. Why was she living on the streets? Why hadn't anyone taken care of her? How old was she? We rounded our run out at three miles and then walked back towards my apartment building. The summer afternoon was cooler than usual and I could tell it was going to be a strong winter. We took the elevator up to my floor and quietly entered the apartment. Alice had started cooking dinner and the whole house smelled like pot roast, my fucking favorite. Bella was still asleep on the pillow in the living room. She had my hoodie on still with the letters C-U-L-L-E-N across the back. I smirked. It was the first time I'd given any girl something with my name on it to wear. Well, except for Alice. She never wore the family name like that though, it was all about fucking designer labels for her. Bellas' hands and feet were bandaged up and Jasper was cleaning up the table. The bowl that he'd been putting glass shards into was a bloody mess of glass and blood and quite frankly, it looked like a fucking Halloween prop. He looked up and tilted his head towards the hallway. I put up Dallas' leash and gave her some cold water. Jasper had a concerned look on his face as I walked up to him in the hallway.

"She's not going to be able to walk for a couple of days while her feet heal." I nodded. I had thought of that and already had an answer for him.

"That's okay. I can carry her to wherever she wants to go in the house." He looked at me like parents look at their kids when they tell 'em they're gonna be aliens exploring space when they grow up instead of the usual fireman bullshit kids always say.

"She's going to need help eating and bathing. You up for all that?" I looked at him curiously. Here's a guy who not two days ago chewed me out for almost killing her and now he was asking if I could handle a little nurse duty?

"I can handle it Jasper. If it turns out I'm not cut out for helping the sick and the week, I'll call Esme." My mom would know what to do.

"I don't know if that's the best idea. You don't want your mom coming around if this girl's a security risk. I thought about it for a minute, and while he might be right, I thought it might be best if it came to that.

"Considering I don't want anyone in the crew to know about this, then I think my mah would be the perfect one for the job. No one's gonna wonder what she's doing around my house. But if I had a nurse coming and going…that shit stands out."

Jasper hesitated. "Well, I ask only because of your temper. I don't want you going off on her. She's been through a lot. I don't know what that lot's been but she's been crying in her sleep almost the entire time I was pulling glass out of her hands and feet." I nodded. It's all I could do. What the fuck was I gonna say? I wanted to fix it, but that's not something I could promise not to do…my temper was a monster that reared its ugly head at the worst fucking times.

"Just tell me what she needs and I'll do it." Jasper handed me a list. _Damn, he doesn't fuck around. _

_Let her rest_

_Change her bandages three times a day until the bleeding stops_

_Give her one pill every four hours until she doesn't feel pain in her hands and feet_

_Don't fucking yell at her_

_Don't let her walk on her bandages until I check them again_

_Make sure she's comfortable_

_Be nice to her, asshole_

I laughed at the list. "Are numbers 4 and 7 really necessary?" He gave me the same look I gave him when he told me he wanted to marry my fucking sister. I nodded, folded the piece of paper and put it in my back pocket.

"Now what?"

"Now you take her back to a bed and wait for her to come around. Get her some food and let her rest. And talk to her. That direction is from Alice"

*******

It had been a couple of hours since I carried her into the bedroom and saw my family out. Bella had been whimpering in her sleep and tossing a lot. I couldn't help but wonder if she slept like this when she was out on the streets, cause that shit would draw a ton of attention. I kept wondering what it would have been like for a girl in her state to make it this long…and how long it had been that she'd been on the streets. Hell, even I had a shitty life having to make it on my own, but I always had somewhere to fuckin put my head at night. It was never home, but it wasn't a damn dumpster. I was so deep in thought I didn't notice her starting to wake up. I shoulda' been watching her more closely, 'cause when she woke up, it looked pretty fucking strange for me to be sitting on her bed.

BPOV_____

I was first aware of being awake when I felt the tears running down my face. Then I felt the pain. My hands and my feet burned and felt stiff. I groaned and then heard Dallas whimper. More tears started rolling down my face as a realized where I was and what had happened. When I turned my head I saw the back of his head first. He was sitting on the bed hunched over with his head in his hands. He must have heard me because he turned to look at me and the same look of anger flashed across his face. Panic shot through me and the floodgates opened between my overwhelming shame and my mouth. "I'm sorry about this. I'll figure out some way to pay you back. For….for everything. I'm not sure how long it will take but I'll try. Please don't be angry with me."

His face changed and confusion flashed across it. He sighed heavily and then shifted on the bed so his knee was resting next to one of my legs. I was still wearing my filthy clothes. I closed my eyes hard and hoped that he wouldn't be angry with me for being on his clean, comfortable bed in the rags I had.

"Relax, Bella." He paused and sighed again. "I'm not angry."

Now I was the one who was confused. I had seen that look on his face all day. Was he lying to try and make me feel better? I was hedging my bets that he would let me get this out before telling me the truth that he was really angry at me…

"I don't understand. You've looked like that all day. When I woke up after the massage and there was blood everywhere you had that look on your face, and when you were standing next to me in the living room I felt you standing there, and you felt angry. And just now when I woke up, you had that look on your face. You don't have to lie to me. I can take it. I'd be angry at me. I just need you to know that I will do anything to repay you for… and I'm sorry for….and…."

"Bella, stop!" His voice was loud enough that it made me shudder away from him. A flash of Charlie in my mind brought on a fresh wave of tears and I started to wonder how I could get him to not be so angry with me. "Just stop all this rambling. Jasper said you need to relax. That's not going to happen with you freaking out on me. I'm not angry and I'm not lying. The look you saw on my face after your massage was frustration."

I sat there stunned for a moment. _He's frustrated that he has to deal with you._ I started to tell him I was sorry he had to deal with me when he closed his eyes and held his hand up silently asking me to wait.

"I'm not mad at you, for any reason. I'm just frustrated with all of this. With the fact that I can't seem to do shit right by you. I keep putting you in situations that harm you. That's not why I brought you here."

The words almost didn't make it to my lips as I was so stunned he was talking to me as if he was at confession. He didn't put me in a situation to harm me in the first place, that was my fault. I should have been smarter than I was.

"It's not your fault that I'm here. Wait, what do you mean do right by me? I don't deser….."

He shifted closer to me on the bed, reaching out to touch my lips to quiet me. I turned my head inadvertently brushing my lips across the tips of his fingers. Tears were still running down my face silently, they were cold and sticky. But the second he touched me my lips lit on fire. My eyes widened with shock as I watched him pull his hand back quickly. I heard him whisper "_fuck_" under his breath. We were both silent for a few really long seconds. When he started to speak his voice was softer and more focused than it had been a minute ago.

"We're not getting off to the right start. Look, I'm sorry for dragging you here. After we found you in the alley, it was the only thing I could think of to do that would keep you somewhat safe from Mike and Laurent putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger. I'll be honest with you, I told them I was going to keep you until I figured out what you knew. But, fuck, that was before I saw your hands and watched you these past two days. I don't know what the fuck you're dealing with or why the hell you were in a motherfucking dumpster to begin with, but I'm not about to throw you out to the wolves."

He had started pacing back and forth in front of the bed as he talked running his hands through is short but messy copper hair. If I hadn't been terrified he was going to kill me, I might actually enjoy looking at him, even when he was in this mood. I didn't have a response to anything he said. He finally stopped pacing back and forth across the room and looked at me.

"I'm sorry. I must be freaking you out." I couldn't help but lift my eyebrows in amazement. What was I supposed to say to that? I told him the truth.

"A little."

"Okay." He sat back down at the end of the bed with his leg bent in front of him so close to mine that I could feel warmth radiating off of him. "I'm need you to know I'm not mad at you. Not for anything. I'm sure you think I'm pissed about the blood or Jasper having to work on you or whatever's going through that head of yours. But I'm not. All this shit can be replaced and he works on retainer, so quit beating yourself up over that shit."

I nodded. I still didn't feel relaxed about it, though.

"Now it's like I said before, you can't leave. But it's not cause I'm trying to keep you captive. I just haven't figured out how to fix this yet without you getting hurt even more than you already have. I don't want you to feel like you're a damn prisoner here. That's why I called Alice over to help you out."

I held my hands up in front of him to remind him of her help.

"Fuck. I know. I didn't know that shit would happen. And I'll make it up to you somehow, Bella."

Shame washed over me again. Who was I to need or want someone to make anything up to me. I knew I didn't deserve it anyway. It was still all my fucking fault even if he said it wasn't.

My head was hanging low when I felt the fire from his fingers touch under my chin lightly. I lifted my eyes up to his and was stunned by the seriousness behind his deep green eyes.

"Hey, it's not a bad thing to have me owe you something. A lotta people try really hard for that to happen."

I smiled slightly because I knew he was talking about his work as a killer.

"Listen, we gotta change your bandages. And Jasper said you can't walk right now. So can I carry you into the bathroom to get this done quickly?"

Shock surged through my body as I thought about him touching me even more. I was immediately self conscious and scared and intimidated all at the same time.

"Um….."

He stared at me running his hands through is hair.

"I guess I shouldn't have thought this would be easy. Hold, on, I'll be right back." He stood up and walked out of the room. Dallas lifted her head to watch him move down the hall but didn't leave my side.

"Thanks, girl. I'd pet you but….well…you know."

Edward came stomping back in the bedroom with a bottle of water and a bottle of pills. "Jazz said take one of these every four hours for the pain and you've been out longer than that. I thought it might relax you a lil too so we can get through this without you freaking out."

He was trying to feed me pills?

"You're trying to get me high?" His eyes got big and then he rolled them and smirked.

"No, I'm not trying to get you high. Damn. I'm an asshole, but I'm not a creepster. You'll need one after I unwrap the bandages anyway, that shit hurts." He pulled up his shirt and showed me a pile of scar tissue across the side of his torso. "I've had to have a couple of bandages changed myself. I know these will help. So just fucking take one."

I did as he asked and waited a few minutes for the lightheadedness to kick in.

"Let's get this over with." I said it as I watched him wait impatiently for me to give in. He seemed really eager to change my bandages and seeing how I couldn't do it, I figured I might as well let him help me a little bit. After all, what could it hurt at this point?


	8. Chapter 8: Fucking Video Games

**Sorry for the delay in updates. I've been a lil swamped with, uh, work. Yeah, that's it. Anyway, thanks to everyone that's reviewed and added my story. I'm starting the next chappy chap right now while I've got a minute. Something about a boy and his car makes me wanna write lots. **

**For everyone that's reviewed with questions, rather than answer them in an A/N, I'm gonna answer them in the story…as it unfolds. I figured that way it leaves some of you curious for just a lil bit longer and for anyone else that's not curious, just know I'm kinda evol that way. **

**I don't own anything…**

"_Can't shake this fever from my mind  
It burns away all that has passed  
And draws me to her side  
"A direct hit" the cupid smiles...  
Wounded, I fall into delrium  
And I know... my heart's no longer mine"_

-"Cupids Victim" Tiger Army

I carried her to the bathroom and set her down on the lip of the tub and leaned her against the wall of the shower that was separated by glass. She was still wrapped in my hoodie and wearing a pair of stretch pants Alice had put her in. I could tell the meds were kicking in because her head started to roll around on top of her shoulders.

"Bella, lay your head back on the wall. I don't want you to watch this." She looked at me with glassy eyes and rested her wavy brown hair on the glass. I took out a fresh roll of gauze and set it next to the girl quickly passing on my bathroom tub. I unwrapped her left foot slowly and surveyed Jasper's work. It wasn't bad considering how much shit she probably had in her skin. The cool air on her cuts must have stung because she flinched and turned her head but kept her eyes closed.

The meds were kicking in because she seemed totally out of it. I quickly wrapped her left foot in fresh gauze and rested it back on my lap. After wrapping her right foot I took her hands that were resting in her lap and gingerly picked each of her hands up by the wrist and rested them on the tops of her thighs. I looked up at her face to see if she was at all uncomfortable and she seemed fine. In fact she looked out of it still. I unwrapped her bloody bandages on her right hand first and looked over the damage. After wrapping her hand up she started to stir. I tried to ignore her waking up so I wouldn't get distracted. _Get distracted from what, hmmm?_ I could hear her take in deep breaths and she started to tremble. I didn't look up at her. Fuck I wanted to. So damn badly. Just to see those pretty brown eyes look at me. _Pretty? _

"How long have I been out of it?" Her voice was low and soft. And I couldn't tell if she was still afraid of me or if she was worried about something else.

"Just long enough for me to re-wrap your feet and one of your hands. I'm almost done, okay?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw her rest her head back on the glass

and drift back into whatever sleep she may be getting thanks to the drugs Jasper left her.

I unwrapped her left hand and re-wrapped it in fresh gauze. I wasn't sure if she was still out of it but it was time to move her. I felt compelled to wake her and let her know I was moving her again, something in me didn't want her any more frightened than she had been. So I rubbed her arm to try and get her to wake up a little bit.

"Bella…. Can you hear me?" I waited a few more minutes before rubbing her arm again. She started to come to again and looked like she didn't want to know why she was being woken up. "I'm sorry I woke you. But, Jasper would beat my ass if I let you sleep in here on my tub. So I'm gonna pick you up and move you back to the bed, okay?"

She nodded. So I slipped my arm under her knees and wrapped my other arm around her back. Her head rolled onto my chest as I pulled her near me. She was fuckin' out of it. She felt like so many of the dead bodies I had carried in my time. Except dead bodies didn't smell like fresh flowers and shampoo. _That's new. _Figuring she was so completely out of it, I took in a deep whiff of her hair and buried my nose in her thick brown locks as I carried her back to my bedroom. She smelled so damn good. As I rested her in the bed she started to wake back up. In a tiny voice she whispered:

"Thank you, Edward."And while she'd thanked me before, I was still a lil stunned that she was so damn grateful for moving her from one room to another.

"No problem, baby girl." Her eyes were still cloudy from the pain meds but she looked almost happy staring at me in the face. "You okay? Anything hurting?" A tiny smile grew across her lips.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds and I thought she had fallen back asleep but when she opened them back up she looked scared again.

"This is so nice of you to put me in a bed. I don't know how I'll get over them when I go back to the streets." She smiled a bittersweet smile and started to drift off.

"Will you stay with me?" and she faded out again thanks to the damn meds.

I wanted so badly to tell her that she wasn't going back to the streets. But I didn't know that for sure. I would do everything in my power to keep her safe and secure. But what if she was one of those crazy ass people that no matter how many times people go out of their way to help them, they always go back to what they know best- the fucking streets? I didn't know if she could hear me or not but I had to tell her.

"No matter what, I'm gonna take care of you baby girl. You'll always have somewhere to sleep. You'll always have someone watching over you, I promise."

She didn't move or open her eyes so I figured she hadn't heard any of it, but I meant every word of it.

************************************

**Three weeks later**

Bella was resting on the couch after walking slowly from the bedroom. She had been recovering nicely according to Jasper. Which was good because I had to go out of town for a week on business and I needed her somewhat coherent to explain who'd be watching over her while I was gone. There was a knock at the door. I checked to see if it woke Bella up- which, it didn't.

"Emmett, come on in, man. It's good to see you. It's been a long fucking time." He gave me a big hug and strolled into the living room.

"It's been too long. I don't know how much of working out in that fuckin' desert I could take for much longer. Thanks for the call. Is that her?"

I hesitated for a minute. I trusted Emmett. He was by best friend and my most trusted friend at that. But when he asked it like that, I knew he had heard rumors.

"What have you heard?"

"Just that you let someone get away after seeing too much. Some said it was a girl, others said it was a guy. Either way, you've got some PR to do with the boss when you see him this week." He never took his eyes off of her as he talked. It was one of rare times Emmett was serious, and I took the information as such.

"Yeah, that's her. Look, it's like I told you on the phone, she has certain needs that require 24-7 care right now." He sighed with look of concern on his face...which was fuckin' rare.

"Alright, what's the list consist of?"

"She needs her bandages changed twice a day. Clean them every other day by washing them with warm water and the soap that's in the bathroom. Give her a pain pill when she asks for one…or when you can tell she's in pain but won't say shit. Only let her walk short distances and for small periods of time. She can't stand on her feet completely yet as they're still healing."

"How can you tell if she's in pain so I'll know to give her a pill?"

"She'll start crying silently. And when you ask her what's wrong she won't say anything but she'll show you her hands or her feet by lifting them. If she doesn't do that, just stay near her cause I think it's something else. She won't tell me what, though. It seems to help calm her down and Jasper brought her a lower dosage for now cause he's trying to wean her off. He wants her to be completely pain pill free by the time her scars heal. And there's one other thing."

"If it involves sponge baths, count me in, man. She's pretty cute."

I was almost sure he was joking, but I knew he didn't really want to get that intimate with Bella considering he was in my territory.

"No, jackass. Rose has been coming over to help with that, so don't worry about it. She cries in her sleep every night, though. I need you to stay in the room with her. You don't have to sleep in the same bed but stay in there with her and tell her it's okay when she starts crying. She doesn't sleep well anyway, so she'll be drifting in and out all damn day."

He looked at me with another one of his serious looks. "Every night? She cries every night? What the fuck did you do to her hands and feet anyway?"

"Yeah every night. And I didn't do shit. She had glass embedded in her hands and feet. I had Jasper take it out. Now listen, Rose comes three times a week to help her get cleaned up. But you still have to carry her in and out of the bathroom. And for fucks sake, Emmett, don't piss Rose off. She's a nice girl and she's my damn cousin. So I'll hear about your fuckin' antics either way."

He snickered, nodded, and left it at that. "I'm gonna wake her so I can introduce you to her. I don't want her freaking out with you here and me be gone."

I knelt by her on the couch and touched her cheek. She woke and immediately looked frightened by the huge man sitting in the chair across from her. Tears started to well up in her eyes. And although I was pretty sure she'd never seen him before, she looked terrified.

"Hey, Bella. Calm down. I need to introduce you to someone."

She looked like she was in full blown panic mode now shifting her eyes between me and Emmett.

"Bella…Look at me, sweetheart." She gave me a skeptical look. "This is Emmett. He's my best friend. He's not gonna hurt relax, okay?" She nodded slowly either like she understood me or she was just going along with it all.

"Why is he here?" She asked in a low, timid voice. I had guessed that by introducing him as my best friend she'd be okay with it. I guessed wrong. _Stupid dick._

"I've gotta go outta town on some business. You're gonna stay here and heal up. He's gonna stay here and just take over what I've been doing." I looked back at Emmett and waited for him to nod in understanding. He did. He was smart not to get up from his chair in introducing himself to her, she looked terrified still.

"Hey Bella. I hope you like video games, 'cause you're gonna be watching me play 'em a whole fuckin' lot while this asshole's out on business." Emmett smiled and started to nod his head like he was so fucking proud of himself for not making her scream out in fear.

She smiled a fraction of a smile at his comment. Bella looked back at me like she had a huge fucking question to ask. I didn't, no, couldn't tell her where or what I was going out to do. But I needed her to know that I'd be back soon.

"Listen, Ima' be back in a week. So don't get too used to this jerk and his juvenile video games. He's gonna look out for you and carry you around like I have been so you don't break the scar tissue on those feet of yours. You're gonna be fine. But stay off your feet as much as possible and ask him for whatever you need or want. That's his job while I'm gone."

She nodded again at me but still looked like she had some damn question she needed to ask me.

"You got any questions? Cause you sure look like you do..." She nodded her head side to side quickly telling me most assuredly she didn't have any.

"Alright then. I'm gonna take off. I'll see you next week, Bella."

I leaned in as I stood up with the urge to kiss her forehead. But something stopped me. _What the fuck right do you have to kiss her? None, that's right, none. _I paused at her forehead but caught her looking up at me expectantly. I cleared my throat, patted Emmett on the shoulder, grabbed my luggage and walked out the door.


	9. Chapter 9: Rebels are We, part 1

**849 hits yesterday…way to wrap up a month…and 222 so far for today. Daaaaaammmmmn. Thank you!**

"Now I'm aiming for heaven

But probably wind up down in hell…"

-"Rebels of the Sacred Heart" Flogging Molly

Whatever Jasper had given me for pain pills…whew. They were strong. Every time I took one it seemed like I slept for hours if not days. They did their job in taking away the pain from my hands and feet, but they didn't get rid of the nightmares and fears that kept overwhelming me at night. At one point they got so strong I started having nightmares during the day.

I had spent most of the last three weeks asleep close to it thanks to the meds. Edward had been watching over me and keeping me company. Which was weird considering I was still convinced he was gonna either kill me or hand me over to someone that would.

Sufficed to say, things had been a little uncomfortable. I mean, it got easier, having him carry me around. The first time he told me he was going to pick me up and carry me into the bathroom to change my bandages I panicked.

At first I was paranoid he was trying to get me high leaving me unaware of whatever he wanted to do next. After he had assured me he wasn't going to be inappropriate or anything I complied. It's not like I could walk on my feet anyway when they were in the shape they were.

I had no words for how it felt to be touched by him. Some of the girls from school used to talk about feeling butterflies or feeling their stomach drop when they were touched by someone they really liked. If that's what the feeling was that jolted through me, then the butterflies in my tummy were driving steam rollers with the bass turned up on their speakers. A shock wave passed through me that made me shiver and flinch away from him uncontrollably a little bit.

He looked at me with a concerned stare. "Did I hurt you?" So far he had only put one hand under my knees and had been getting ready to put his other hand behind my back.

I shook my head no.

"Don't hold that shit in. You need to let me know if I hurt you at all. Cause if you're hurt anywhere else, I'll call Jasper."

I nodded still trying to control the steamrolling bass thumping butterflies from driving me to convulsions. _What the hell is wrong with you, Bella? _

He put his hand behind my back and I shivered again. He looked at me with one eyebrow up and pursed lips like he was annoyed that I might not be telling him the truth. He didn't move me, he just stayed still waiting for me to explain myself.

"Uh…it's been a long time since someone's touched me for any reason other than to run me out of their trash can or hand me spare change. I'm sorry." It was the only thing I could think of to say. I figured if he had been honest with me, then I should be honest with him. _Yeah, that's assuming he's been honest, dummy. He could be just holding out till the other guys get back to finish the job from the alley. _He sighed heavily.

The pain killers started to kick in and I couldn't feel my face. At some point between the bedroom and the bathroom I had started to drift back off to sleep.

Somewhere in my stupor I heard him tell me to lean my head back. It was only then that I realized I was sitting on a cold surface with something to lean on. I had been staring at his face when it occurred he'd been talking to me. _Lay your head back on the wall. I don't want you to watch this._ Watch what? Oh yeah… I did as he asked me and quickly slipped back into darkness.

I could feel cold air and my feet stinging. It was slight but the pain was there enough to be aware of it. My feet felt different than they used to. There was less of a congested feeling in them. Now it was replaced by a feeling of raw skin healing slowly. _That's new…sort of._

When I resurfaced I started taking deep breaths to try and center myself. I tried the same thing I did the two or three times I had drank enough to forget what had been happening around me. Almost like I was just checking to see if I could still breath slowly but heavily.

"How long have I been out of it?" I didn't look down at what he was doing. Instead I kept my eyes on his shoulders. They were strong and well defined through his black t-shirt. I watched for a second while they flexed and released as he worked on my feet and hands. It didn't take long for me to give back into the overwhelming urge to just lay my head back and drift back into sleep.

My left side felt hot. Like I had been leaning up against the glass of a window facing the sun. Edward was rubbing my arm up and down gently and at first it startled me. But hearing his voice put me at ease…somewhat. I couldn't figure out why he'd be waking me up but it seemed like he figured that out quick because he explained it was time to move me back to the bedroom.

I nodded. And dozed off again. I could feel the entire left side of my body heat up all the way to my scalp. I knew I was leaning into him and I didn't care. I had to thank him for being so damn nice to me considering he was literally carrying me back and forth when I couldn't manage on my own.

"Thank you, Edward." He seemed surprised. I couldn't help but smile at him for being silly about a simple, but truthful, show of gratitude.

Thinking about everything he had done for me, even considering the circumstances, my heartfelt heavy when I thought about all of this being over. He didn't look entirely happy with me again when I mentioned my thoughts out loud. Rather than worry, though, I let the drugs wash over me again and drifted off. I couldn't help but wonder if he could stay near me, though. That warmth was overpowering and seemingly addictive.

*****

Nothing terribly eventful happened over the following weeks. Edward kept watch over me and kept me pretty numb from the pain killers. Between making me three meals a day and carrying me all over the house I owed him more than I could ever repay. In a twisted way I was grateful for him bringing me into his world regardless of the circumstances. Thinking back now, I don't know how much longer I would have been able to live with the way I'd been going.

It had been long enough that Jasper had okayed me walking on my feet for no more than five minutes a day. It wasn't hard for me to abide by his directions. My feet were still so sore from him cutting into them so walking for much time at all was as bad, if not worse, than having the glass in them.

Edward hadn't pried about anything having to do with me or how I'd ended up on the streets. I was thankful for that. Considering I already felt like the mooch of the century, I didn't want to feel his guilt coupled with his overwhelming generosity.

I didn't know how long that'd last, though.

The heat I had felt the first night Edward had carried me to the bathroom hadn't faded. I wondered if it ever would. I also wondered what the hell was wrong with me that I felt something like that from someone I hardly knew.

*****

I'd been drifting in and out of consciousness when I heard Edward talking to someone. A guy. I hadn't heard the other man's voice before since I'd been in Edwards apartment but I was immediately on edge. _This can't be good. _My emotions started to overwhelm me and I probably looked as terrified as I felt. The man was huge. Even standing next to Edward…he was HUGE. His dark hair was short like Edwards, almost shaved. His shoulders were wide and wrapped in thick muscles that just looked solid and impenetrable. He had a huge smile on his face like he had gotten away with something so huge it merited sharing with everyone he knew.

That still didn't calm me.

"Why is he here?" Edward wiped his hands over his knees as he remained kneeling beside me on the couch. He looked nervous and somewhat regretful. That set off more alarms in my head.

"I've gotta go outta town on some business." _Was I going with him? You should have known he was leaving. Look at how he's dressed…black suit, white shirt, black tie…dummy. Was he going to end everything now and that's why Emmett was here? _"You're gonna stay here and heal up. He's gonna stay here and just take over what I've been doing." _He might still kill you while Edwards gone…so don't get too happy about being thankful you've had Edward to take care of your ass. _

"Hey Bella." His voice wasn't alarmingly evil sounding. Not like the guy's I had heard in the alley that night with Edward. _What if something happens to Edward while he's gone? Then what happens to you? _"I hope you like video games, 'cause you're gonna be watching me play 'em a whole fuckin' lot while this asshole's out on business."

_You're worried about getting killed and he's thinking about video games? You might live, after all. _I couldn't help but smile a tiny bit at that. I wanted so badly to ask him where he was going. And to tell him to be careful. And to ask him if I was going to be alive when he got back. And if there was anything he needed me to do for him while he was gone or when he got back. My mind was racing with questions that I felt like I needed to ask him. _What if it takes longer than a week? Who will stay with me then? What if Emmett has to leave on business? What if there's an emergency? What would merit an emergency? _

"…But stay off your feet and ask him for whatever your need or want…" _Want? What could I possibly want? What did he mean? Was it okay to ask for things? Not while he's gone. You don't know what Emmett's capable of. _

"You got any questions? 'Cause you sure look like you do…" I shook my head vehemently 'no'. _Why would you even miss him? What's wrong with you? _

I watched him slowly stand from kneeling beside me. He leaned in towards me and rested his hand next to me on the back of the couch. He looked like he was about to come so close to me with his face that I could kiss him. He paused at my forehead. I could smell the crisp scent of starch and aftershave. He smelled amazing. I couldn't help but watch him. He was close enough that I could see the stubble on his face and the scar under his chin that ran from his ear to the middle of the underside of his chin.

He caught me looking at him and quickly snapped back up standing up straight. _What the hell was that about? _He said goodbye to Emmett and walked out the door. _He didn't even say goodbye to you. Don't get too comfortable, silly girl. _

**A/N: So I'm gonna end it there for now…I'M IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING CHAPTERS 10 AND 11 right fuckin' now. So untangle your panties and spend the idle time leaving me a review. I'm sleepy and it's past my bed time. **


	10. Chapter 10 part 1

**A/N…I don't own characters…But I do own three bottles of champagne that I'm going to be enjoying over the course of this weekend. **

I was still frozen on the couch when I heard the elevator close. Emmett looked around with a content but curious look on his face. I was trying my hardest not to look directly at him. He caught me though, and it seemed to make him happier than he already was.

"You hungry?" He seemed overly excited at the mention of food. I shook my head no.

"Suit yourself. I'ma make some grub." I watched as his huge frame sauntered over to the fridge and started pulling out stacks of food. While I enjoyed watching him work, I didn't want him to get mad at me for looking at him, so I turned my head and tried to drift back off to sleep. My meds were wearing off, though. That or I had enough adrenalin running through me that I couldn't sleep.

"Here," a sandwich was shoved in my face, "You need to eat something."

I looked up to see Emmett smiling a huge grin holding a turkey sandwich out in front of him in one hand and another twice the size of mine in his other hand closer to him.

"Um. Thank You."

He nodded and sat back down in the chair across from the couch I was still laying on. I started to eat the sandwich with tiny bites.

"So…you wanna watch some tv?"

I shrugged. Emmett turned on the tv and started to enjoy some cartoon I hadn't seen before.

"You ever seen Sponge Bob?" I shook my head 'no'. "You don't say much do you?"

"I'm not sure what to say, really."

"Can I ask you some questions?" I nodded slowly. I wasn't sure what he wanted to know and I was only willing to answer so much of whatever he did ask.

"What happened?" He pointed to my feet and my hands.

I swallowed hard. "I had glass embedded in my hands and feet." His face didn't change.

"Where'd the glass come from, Bella?" I didn't want to tell him much. But I figured at this rate he was going to ask me more questions.

"I jumped into a dumpster and landed on a ton of broken bottles. When the glass cut my feet I fell forward and the same happened to my hands. I didn't have anything to pull it out with."

He was the one to swallow hard this time. "Why'd you jump in a dumpster?"

_He didn't know? What had Edward told him? Wait, what did Edward know? _

"Um. I was looking for….um" Shame washed over me and I couldn't finish my explanation.

"Yeah?"

"food." I said it so quietly I wasn't sure if he heard me or not. I wasn't sure what he'd say or do. If he'd get angry with me or pity me. Either way I didn't want to experience those reactions.

He didn't say anything remotely close to what I had anticipated.

"Then you better finish that sandwich. You need to eat and the food will help your body heal faster. You're not going hungry on my watch." He smiled widely again.

_That's a new response. _Just waiting for the expected replies I wasn't getting was exhausting.

"Is it okay if I try and take a nap?" I didn't want to be rude, but I was quickly falling asleep.

"Bella, do what you gotta do and make yourself comfortable. I'm just here to keep you company and make sure you're safe. I'll talk to you in a few, okay, hun?"

I nodded and rested my head on the pillow Edward had left me. It didn't take long for me to drift off.

* * * *

When I woke up I was not on the couch. At first I was startled because I was in the bed I'd been sleeping in for the last three weeks. _What this all a weird dream? Is Edward going to walk in and check on me any minute? _I had to check.

"Edward?"

No answer.

I waited for a minute longer before trying to climb out of bed and walk back to the living room. As I put my feet on the floor and began to stand up I quickly realized I was in no shape to be walking on my feet again. They were numb from not having moved them in a few hours. But this thought occurred to me as I fell face first onto my hands. I screamed as the scar tissue in my hands split open painfully and started to cry.

"Bella?!?" Emmett came running into the room. I had started crying.

"Fuckin' hell Bella! What happened?" He sounded angry. Fear shot through me laced with lingering shame from this whole ordeal.

"I'm sorry!!! I fell. I called for Edward but he didn't answer and I wanted to see if he was in the living room and I got out of bed and….and…." I was sobbing so hard from everything washing over me at once that I couldn't even finish explaining myself.

Emmett picked me up quickly and rushed me to the bathroom. My feet were fine. The bandages on my hands were starting to turn pink and red from the open wounds. I kept apologizing over and over again. I didn't know what else to say or do. He pulled me close to him and started to shush me.

"Bella, it's okay, sweetheart. I'm not angry. It's okay. It's okay, honey. I just heard you screaming and I didn't know what was going on. Calm down, honey. No one's gonna hurt you."

He continued to comfort me until I calmed back down. He sat me on the tub where Edward had before. He gently put his hands on each side of my face and waited until I looked up at him.

"Bella, why were you calling for Edward? He's not here. He won't be back for a couple, ah, days. What's the matter?" I had realized when I saw Emmett that Edward wasn't here and that it hadn't been a dream. I cried harder. I was so overwhelmed with sadness that Edward wasn't there right then that I didn't know what to do. I felt desperate.

"I thought maybe, because I woke up in the bed that meeting you had been a dream. I just didn't want to be alone." A fresh wave of guilt and shame washed over me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, Emmett. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

He sighed heavily as he rocked me back and forth. "Bella, you didn't upset me. As long as you're not hurting, everything's gonna be okay. Let's change these bandages and see if we can't find something for dinner, okay?"

I nodded. _How long had I slept? Was it dinner time already?_

)))))))

Emmett had been engrossed in a video game for a couple of hours when Rose came over to help me get cleaned up. And while it seemed he had been obsessed in his game playing on the tv, when he saw Rose it was like he just started playing twenty games on twenty big screens at once.

I watched as he opened the door and his eyes lingered on her backside as she sauntered into the apartment with grace and class as she always did. Alice followed after her quietly bouncing into the apartment.

"Hey Alice. Hi Rose! How ya been?" It was obvious- the difference between how Emmett felt for Alice and how Emmett felt for Rose.

Rose rolled her eyes and smiled. She knew what she did to him, and it was clearly apparent that she enjoyed exciting him to no end.

"I've been good, Emmett. How have you been?" With the way she asked him you'd have thought there was some inside joke between the two of them that I didn't know about.

"Been good. Better now, though." He gave her a huge smile. When he caught me looking at the two of them in their moment, I blushed hard and droped my head. _You shouldn't be watching. This is none of your business. _

"Hi Bella! How's the healing going?" Alice didn't seem to pay them any attention. She hadn't been on one of Rose's visits before so I was slightly alarmed as to why she was here. And while she had apologized for her nail technicians and their mistakes, I was pretty sure she still felt guilty about them finding glass in my skin.

"She fell this morning." "I fell this morning." We said it at the same time. Except Emmett's voice was low and serious while mine was quiet and frightened.

Rose looked angry and Alice seemed incredibly concerned.

"Bella, how did you fall? " Alice asked.

Rose was mean mugging Emmett and Alice was looking at my bandages with my hands in her lap. I looked at Emmett, unsure if I wanted to really tell them that I was panicked and looking for Edward. Emmett seemed to notice my sudden intentional silence and spoke up.

"Fuck, it was totally my damn fault. She was asleep and I moved her to the bed so she could be more comfortable. I came back in here to watch tv. I didn't hear her calling for me. When she tried to climb out of bed to come look for me she lost her balance and fell."

I thanked Emmett with my eyes and nodded in agreement. "I really needed to pee."

While Rose was still glaring at Emmett, Alice started giggling about how guilty he looked.

"You idiot! You were in here while she was asleep in the room? Edward told you about that, damnit!"

I hadn't been paying much attention to their discussions until they mentioned his name.

"Told him about what?" _What had he told them about me? _

"Bella," Emmett sounded cautious, which made me nervous, "Edward told me that I couldn't leave you alone, not even when you were sleeping."

I gasped.

"Not like that, I mean…he said that you needed someone to watch over you 24-7 and when you were sleeping I was to stay in the room with you in case you needed anything."

"Emmett, tell her the rest." Rose demanded.

He sighed again. "He said that you cry out in your sleep with nightmares and that if you had one that I was to make sure you knew you were safe and not alone. He doesn't want you…uh…_we _don't want you to be unhappy."

I was still stunned. How the hell did he know about my nightmares in the first place? And then it registered. He was always there when I woke up. He always seemed to know when I needed a pill or just something to eat.

"So when I've been asleep you've been in the room with me? And when Edward was here he was in the room with me, all night?"

Everyone nodded with solemn looks on their faces. Immediately, I felt overwhelmed with shame. Tears started to pout down my face silently.

"I'm so sorry."

Emmett knelt down in front of me on the couch and wiped away my tears. "Bella, you don't need to be sorry for anything. We don't mind taking care of you. that's what we do, we take care of our own."

"You mean you take care of people Edward holds captive?"

Emmett blinked dumbly for a few seconds longer than I thought he would. I knew they knew why I was here. They had to have known.

"Bella, you don't get it do you?" Emmett was still wiping away my silent tears.

"Get what Emmett?"

"Fuck, Bella, Edward is trying to protect you. he doesn't want you killed or hurt any more than you already were when he found you. Granted, he can't let you leave, but it's to fuckin' keep you alive…"

I blinked out more tears but they quickly dried up.

"And fuck, if he wanted to kill you, he'd have done it. I've seen it myself. He doesn't hesitate on that shit."

"I can't stay here. I don't want to be a burden to anyone. And the five of you keep taking time out of your lives to help me and I don't deserve this. I'm sorry I've been so needy. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Bella….we take care of our own. Stop with the worrying. We wanted to help. Otherwise, we wouldn't fuckin' be here."

"Your own?" _What did that mean?_

Rose cut in to our conversation right after I asked. It left me feeling like they didn't want to really answer that question yet.

"Bella, instead of a shower tonight, what do you think about a bath? I brought you some new products." Rose waited for me to think about it while Emmett looked at the two of us with a gleeful look.

"You two shower together? Can I watch?" Rose rolled her eyes. I blushed again.

Emmett smiled sheepishly at me. "Okay, okay, let's go Bella. Hey Rose, won't she get her bandages wet?"

Rose held up baggies and tape. "She won't get them wet, dummy. We put these on before we get her all cleaned up."

Emmett smiled that huge smile again. "Can I watch next time you help her shower? If you're in there too, that's gotta be pretty fuckin' hot!!!"

Rose hit him up side of his head. "I wear a bathing suit. It's not about getting it on, it's about taking care of Bella."

"Well that's pretty hot too…" Emmett mumbled under his breath as he lowered me into the tub.

Rose cleaned me up and washed my hair. When she was done she brought clothes for me that Alice had bought. And Emmett carried me back into the bedroom. I took a pain pill and quickly drifted off to sleep as Alice ran her fingers through my hair keeping me company.

**A/N: want a sneak peak at the next BIG chapter? Write a review and I'll respond to you with it…BUT DON'T SHARE!**

**Smooches. **


	11. Chapter 10 part 2

**A/N: so on Friday there were, no shit, 2000 hits to the story. DAMN. Please leave me a review or two when you visit…I'm a fan of hearing from the fan's. heh heh. **

"you try to imagine what happens  
when you impart with some garbage  
everything in life is so tragic  
no matter who is the hardest  
no matter who your god is  
I'm telling you fuckers regardless  
Don't even get me started"

-Killafornia, The Transplants

The door closed with a lock from the auto-dead bolt and my heart sank. _How the fuck could you leave her while she's like this?_ I couldn't shake the feeling that she had wanted to ask me something and I wasn't patient enough to wait for her to fuckin' ask. _Tough luck now, you've already left with your shit and your car keys. _Ahh, my car. That would put me in a better mood.

I walked down to the garage in my building and smiled as saw her sitting there under the car cover I'd had made just a month ago. I was sick of the dust and dirt getting on her paint job while she waited for me to drive her.

I got her uncovered and climbed in and sunk into the worn leather bench. She smelled like armor-all and leather and that old musty smell somewhere between a basement and old books. It was amazing. Pure fuckin' heaven.

When she started up she fuckin' purred like the beast she was. I knew the boss would have some shit to say about the new modifications I'd added, but I didn't give a fuck. This was the biggest, fastest car I could find in her vintage and her condition. And believe me, she was worth every damn penny.

When I pulled up to the cabin, the boss and his number two guy were unloading shit into the house. He looked at me driving up and shook his head. _Knew it…he's not a fan. And we don't give a shit._

I got the car parked and walked up to the guys unloading their luxury sedans.

"Edward, I don't know why you insist on driving that beast. Guys like you should be driving fast, little, new cars. You'd look good driving something silver."

I looked back at my beautiful 1968 Series Special Cadillac Hard Top Sedan De Ville and smiled. She'd been lowered a little with hydro's and painted flat black. Her black leather interior glowed just a little with the purple interior illumination. _C U L L E N _was spelled across the top of the front windshield in white vinyl old English script. The tinted windows didn't leave too much to be obvious, though, and that was just the way I liked it.

"Even back in the day we didn't drive the big cars around all souped up like that. The closest we got to that shit was Elvis and his damn pink Cadillac. Seriously, E, don't you think that's a little ostentatious?"

Sill gazing at my favorite fucking car I couldn't help but answer truthfully.

"Nope. I think it's fuckin' perfect." I let the "p" pop just to rub it in his face that I didn't give a shit about what he thought when it came to my second most favorite thing besides Dallas.

The boss shook his head again and finished carrying things into the house. It looked like we'd be getting in a lil' target practice this week too from the look of the ammo boxes I watched him carry into the house.

"Edward, let's eat, I'm starving."

I followed the boss into the cabin and was met by the smell of warm bread and something baking in the oven that smelled like basil and tomatoes.

"That shit smells delicious. What is it?" I felt like Emmett opening my mouth like I did, but I couldn't help myself.

"I tried my hand at Italian tonight, Edward. Have a seat, can I get you some wine?" Elizabeth, the bosses' wife, was dressed impeccably as she cooked. I mean, who the hell wore something that came out of the pages of a fashion magazine to cook dinner for a bunch of goons? _Answer: Elizabeth, duh. _

I nodded yes to the wine and sat down. I knew when the boss called me to the cabin that it meant he needed to talk frankly about business, but I didn't know what business he wanted to talk about. It didn't take long for me to find out.

"E, how's everything been in the city?"

"It's been calm. I've been leaving most of the work to Mike and Laurent. They're goofy, but they do good work."

"You heard from Emmett lately?" I swallowed hard. The boss never asked about Emmett…he was part of my crew, not part of the organization, yet.

"Yeah, he's in town right now. You been looking for him?" As much as I tried to play it cool, I knew something was up.

"Rose mentioned he was back in town. I think she's got it bad for him. You remember last summer when he visited…"

I rolled my eyes. Of course I remembered last summer. Emmett stalked Rose around the entire time he was here working for me. She kept telling him to fuck off and die but it was pretty obvious to all of us that she liked the persistent attention.

In that moment while the boss waited for me to freak out I decided it was better just to come clean about most of the stuff that had gone down.

"So what rumors you been hearing about me lately?" He looked slightly surprised to hear me asking about his rumor mill and the product of their work.

"I've heard a few…new shipments of guns in. A couple thou' missing from the registers of a couple casino's. A witness you're hiding. Some old Cadillac's gone missing and probably chopped by the great Edward Cullen. Almost all the usual."

I laughed. It was the only thing I could fucking do." I've got the guns, they're basic Glocks. The money, that's spare change. And the cars, well, let's just say I used to know of a couple beaters. But I recently got this nice vintage 56 coupe. You'd dig it, I'm sure."

"And what of the witness?" I took a swig of my drink. What the fuck do I say other than what I had to in order to keep her safe?

"There isn't one. After the thing in the alley, we found a hood rat. I took it to the pier and drowned it. Nobody likes fuckin' rats. Even if they haven't had time to squeal."

And here's the key…I always did that shit. If there were extra sets of eyes that shouldn't have been around, I took 'em out by drowning them. It's just a little more fun than pulling a trigger, ya know? _Um….E….they're nice people listening to your rant. Not fuckers that drown the idiots too stupid to get outta your way. _

He lifted his eyebrows and pursed his lips, thought about it for a minute and then nodded. The concern had passed.

"Let's eat."

)))))))))))))))))

What had been planned for a week took a little more time than I had planned for. I didn't call Emmett to tell him I would be back later than usual because that would look out of place. _Nobody calls their best friend to tell them they'll be home later than planned in this line of work. _

Between going over the new takes and plans for expansion Carlisle and I shot off rifles in the back yard, ate all the delicious food Elizabeth could cook and spent time reminiscing about past family events.

And at the end of the two and a half weeks we said our goodbyes.

Needless to say, the whole time I had been wondering how my girl was going back home. _Your girl? Back home? What the fuck is wrong with you?_

I couldn't call her, text her or make it seem like there was something more important than business to attend to. I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to be near her, though.

I couldn't get her out of my head.

I thought about her lips when I was trying to explain that I didn't expect anything from her. Touching them…was something else. When my leg had gotten close to hers it felt like someone was running their finger lightly up and down my leg. But when my fingers brushed against her lips, I felt heat and a huge fucking tug at my heart. _That thing still works? _

I hadn't felt something like that in ages. Fucking ages. And it started in my fingers but worked its way down into the pit of my stomach. That feeling had been lingering in my gut this whole time and only seemed to get stronger the longer I was away from her.

I was convinced I needed to get back to see her. To check up on her. To hang out with Emmett and find out what she'd told him. And to try to touch her again…to see if that wasn't some fucking fluke. _Like she's going to want you to touch her. She's fuckin' terrified of you, dumbass._

I was loading up my car when the boss came back out with a case of something.

"Here, bring these to Rose. Elizabeth misses her and wants her to visit soon. You all should come out for the New Year's party again this year. It was good to have everyone under the same roof for once." I looked at the case, it was a whole box of gift cards- untraceable, full of cash, gift cards for Rose to go shopping on.

"Alice is gonna be so pissed when she see's these."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Tell them to share then. I'm sure they need to buy a new wardrobe or two for the fall."

_Or three if you count 'your girl'. _

"You doin' anything special for your birthday this year, Edward?" It seemed like these days the only time the boss called me by my whole first name was when he was trying to pull that familial leadership crap on me.

"Who knows, this year, I might stay in and let everyone get smashed for me."

"That's what they do every year anyway. Not for nothing, but this year, you should really celebrate, Edward. Not one to be missed."

And that's when I stopped listening to the fatherly sounding boss because he wasn't my father. And while I knew the invitation to the new year's party wasn't just a 'hey RSVP if you feel like it' kind of invitation but more of a 'I took the time to tell you about it, show up or face the consequences for disrespecting me' kinda' invitation, I didn't have to tell him shit about my birthday plans. Because there weren't any.

"We'll see you before the ball drops. And before the, but probably not for any parties."

"Not if Elizabeth has anything to say about it. You know how she loves to throw parties. In fact, tell the girls that she'll be calling on them soon to start planning."

Why did I feel like this was more of a planning event for Carlisle than it was for Elizabeth? _Because he's either fishing for information or he feels sorry for you that you're almost 30. Or both. _

I nodded trying to convince him to fuckin' drop it. My birthday was the last damn thing on my mind right now and I didn't want to motherfucking talk about it anymore than we already had.

I said goodbye to Elizabeth and the boss climbed into my Cadillac and drove back towards the city.

The entire drive was agonizing. I was already a week and some change behind schedule and I hadn't seen or heard about Bella in as long. It was times like these that I wished I wasn't driving a car I couldn't push over 60 mph because it'd blow the engine out.

When I finally got home and pulled into the garage I saw Emmett's obnoxious Hummer was here.

I pulled the box of cards out for the girls and walked into the building. The elevator ride seemed to take forever to get me to the top floor but I got there none the less.

I quietly opened the door and kicked in the box of cards. Dallas was sitting quietly at the door waiting for me when I arrived. Emmett was passed out on one couch while Bella was passed out on the other couch.

Dallas looked bored. I pet her for a few minutes and let her know how much I missed her. Normally I'd take her on the trips with me but I figured she'd be better company for Bella than me right about now.

Bella was wearing some oversized sweat pants and a tank top from the looks of it. It only took me seconds to realize they were my pants she was wearing. And while I usually fuckin' hated it when girls took my clothes because they thought it was cute or they thought I'd dig it, she didn't look half bad in them.

Her feet weren't bandaged up any more but her hands were still covered in white gauze. That concerned me. I wanted nothing more than to pick her up and put her back in bed where she could get proper rest. But first I wanted to talk to Emmett and we couldn't leave her in a room out of sight until I knew she was okay.

I nudged Emmett's sleeping frame with my leg a couple of times. In the same second when he realized he was being woken up he pulled a .357 pistol out from behind his pillow and pointed it at me. I knew it was loaded.

"Put the goddamn gun down. I'm back." He cracked one eye open and then uncocked the gun.

"Man, why do you have a fuckin' dog if she doesn't bark when people walk in?" I smiled at Dallas who was staring at Emmett as he crawled off the couch.

"I trained her to bark when she doesn't know the person coming in the house, idiot. Otherwise, she'd bark all the time for no damn reason. Now get up and come into the kitchen, I wanna talk to you."

Emmett looked at me and then the dog and then at Bella. He pulled a blanket off the side of the couch and gently rested it on top of her. Waiting to make sure she didn't wake up, he nodded in satisfaction and started to walk into the kitchen.

"How has she been?" I wanted to know so much more but I couldn't let on to the fact that I might very well have feelings for her.

"She's been….um….well….she's been okay some of the time and other times she does that shit you told me she would where she just shuts down. But her wounds are healing. Her feet are healed up. The scar tissue is thin and Jasper said she needs to wear flat shoes but exercise her feet when she's not on them so they'll get stronger."

I nodded.

"What about her hands?"

He hesitated.

"Emmett, what is it?"

"She fell." He looked down at the floor and started to shift his eyes up to mine every now and then to see what my reaction was going to be. He didn't wait for me to respond which was probably best considering I was about to fuckin' lash out at him.

"I took her back into the bedroom and put her in the bed so she could rest and I came back out here to watch a lil tv. When she woke up she thought meeting me and you leaving had all been a dream and she tried to walk out here and find you. She lost her balance and fell on her hands. And when she fell her stitches busted back open. We took care of it though, man, I swear. And it was right after you left and they've been healing up nicely now."

I was livid. He hadn't followed my directions at all and left her sleeping alone in a room down the hallway away from him.

"Fuck, Emmett. Did anything else happen that I need to know about before I figure it out on my own ?"

He looked like he had much more to tell me. And I panicked that it was more physical damage caused in my house.

"She talked in her sleep some, told me why she's homeless, and slept a lot. She's also a huge fan of reading- it's all she's been doing for the last few days. I never knew someone could be so into reading that she'd go through a whole book shelf in two weeks!"

"Hold up, she told you why she's homeless?" he had his pinky in his mouth trying to bite off a hang nail while he nodded.

"Well?"

He sighed heavily. "Look, man, she asked me if it would be okay to tell you herself, so I'm not trying to hold back any info, I just wanna do what she asked me to do."

I nodded. I could respect that Emmett was doing something Bella asked of him instead of just doing what I fuckin' wanted…but only because it was Bella asking him.

"You need to know, though, that it's some heavy shit. And I wasn't happy when I heard it, so don't go freaking out on her about everything. She doesn't need that and she expects that. We'll take care of it as soon as you know all the details."

I blinked at him a few times. _What the fuck is he talking about? Take care of what? _

"What the fuck, Emmett, are you talking about?"

"I told you, she'll tell you…" and with that he walked off back to the couch, picked Bella up and carried her to the bedroom. And while I was happy he was taking care of her like I'd asked him to, I was furious that he was carrying her to the bedroom. That was supposed to be something I get to do, damnit.

He walked back in a few minutes later and suggested I go sit in there and wait until she woke up. He didn't have to suggest it twice.

Dallas followed me in to the bedroom and jumped on the bed. She curled up next to Bella and I sat in the chair across the room from them. Watching her rest peacefully snuggled next to my number one girl put me at ease about so many things that had been weighing on my mind over the time away. I quickly fell asleep in the chair watching my two girls.


	12. Chapter 11: Loud and Clear

**A/N: Let me just say this is a damn day to celebrate…Supernatural season 5 has started, I got three pairs of new shoes yesterday and it's officially the weekend. Thank you to everyone that visited my story and reviewed it over this week. Wednesday there were 1500 hits to the story alone. I'm still a little shocked. **

**Some of you have had questions throughout the story…let me just remind you that I'm not big on answering them through im's because I enjoy bringing the answers out through the story. HOWEVER, if there's a question you're dying to know…ask in a review. **

Am I loud and clear, or am I breaking up?  
Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck?  
Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost?

I'll show you mine if you show me yours first  
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse  
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words

-"Swing Life Away" Rise Against

There was a sliver of light showing through the bottom of the door when I realized where I was. The space was small and cramped and hot. I could feel the closet getting smaller and tighter with every step I heard from his boots. I started to cry more but I kept quiet as much as I could so he wouldn't find me.

I wasn't that lucky.

The door swung open and I tried to climb. There was nowhere to go. He grabbed my hair and dragged me out of the closet. My knees were raw and bleeding by the time he pulled me to the stairs.

"No one wants you here! The quicker I get rid of you the happier we'll be. Why couldn't you have died with her in that fucking car wreck?!"

I was crying even harder. Some would say right about now would be the right time to start apologizing for whatever I might have done to make him angry. I knew that would just cause more beatings.

He let go of my hair and started to walk away. "I was happy when you were born. I swear I was. Until you became the reason she left and then the reason she died and now the reason my life is a living hell!"

I could smell the booze rolling off his breath with every word he shouted at me. I tried to apologize but he started to shake me. I started screaming louder. And then he finally did it- the same thing that he did every time. He lifted his boot and kicked me in the shoulder down the stairs. I was so used to this part- the part of the night that brought me peace when my head hit the wall or a step hard enough to knock me out.

It got warmer and I thought it was going start over again. I felt the squeezing and the heat increase and I started to panic. _How could this be happening again? I just fell down the stairs. _

"BELLA!" I started shaking. I thought he was coming back after me. I started screaming and crying.

"Honey, wake up! Bella! Wake up…"

I quickly opened my eyes to see a very shocked and frustrated looking Edward and Dallas in front of me. I was sitting up in bed. As soon as I saw his face I thought I was safe. I lunged at him and wrapped my arms around his neck and started bawling.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it! I didn't mean to make her leave! I'll fix it!"

I felt him pull me tighter towards him and the cries got louder. He was tired of me to crying, I was sure of it.

"Bella, take a deep breath, honey. You need to breath."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll be quiet. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, Edward."

He leaned back far enough to look into my eyes. He brushed the tears away with the pads of his thumbs and searched my face. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but the strength in his eyes scared me. When he spoke he sounded frantic in a calm voice that confused me.

"Bella, calm down, baby. I'm not gonna hurt you. It was just a nightmare…you just had a nightmare. Tell me how to make this better, tell me what hurts and I'll make it go away."

He didn't understand.

"You can't make this go away. I did this. I made her go away. I ruined their lives. It's my fault, Edward. You can't fix this."

He shook his head and furrowed his brown.

"Who went away? Whose lives are you talking about? What are you talking about? You have to explain this to me, Bella. I can't help you until I know what needs to be fixed."

I started to sob again. He held me close to his chest. And the warmth I felt from being so close was incredible. I could feel his hands running through my hair up and down my back. I sighed heavily.

"Bella, you're safe, nobody is gonna hurt you. You've got Emmett and me here to protect you. No one is gonna throw you down any stairs."

My eyes snapped up at his. _How did he know about that?_

"How did you know about that?" I started to grow paranoid that Charlie was near enough to tell people what I had made him do. Edward sighed heavily.

"You were screaming about it in your sleep, Bella. Who's Charlie?"

I froze. _How much had I said? _

"Bella, what aren't you telling me? I won't tell anyone whatever you tell me. Just tell me what's going on, please. I want to help you."

I knew Emmett was right when he said that Edward was going to want to know about the nightmares and my homelessness. I was worried, though, that Edward wouldn't be as supportive or understanding as Emmett was and put an end to my life as I knew it.

"Where do you want me to start?"

His face softened a little bit. "The beginning, start at the beginning."

I swallowed hard but didn't shift from sitting in his lap. I started the same way when I told Emmett. I couldn't help but wonder what Edward's reaction was going to be, though.

"Charlie is my, um, was, um, my father." Edward silently nodded. Just like Emmett had.

"I was an only child. And after I was born my mother decided she didn't like being tied down to responsibilities like answering to a husband or a job. She took me and left my dad. She moved us across the country and did her own thing while raising me."

He swallowed hard but remained silent. He nodded again.

"When I was 15 she was in a car accident on her way to pick me up from a movie one night. It was fatal."

She had been a good mother, although flighty and free spirited, so when she passed, I was pretty devastated.

"I was devastated. And instead of letting her fiancée adopt me, the courts sent me to live with my, um, dad."

Edward's hands started to squeeze and release behind me where he had been holding on to me. It made me nervous.

"Since I grew up away from him, he and I didn't really talk much. And Charlie had remarried and had a wife he seemed really happy with. I didn't know it until I moved back in with him, but he had a vicious drinking habit. And he wasn't happy with me coming back into his life, I guess."

Edward sighed heavily but only nodded in response to my story.

"Please tell me what happened." He said it in a low enough voice that I knew he wasn't mad, but rather he seemed pretty anxious to hear what happened.

I swallowed hard and pushed myself to continue.

"His drinking started out with him just having too much and going to bed noisily. But then one night I dropped a plate that his wife had brought into the house from when they got married. He accused me of doing it on purpose. He said I was trying to break up his new found happiness. And…and….that's when he slapped me for the first time in my life."

Edward didn't get angry like I thought he would. He sat there with his eyes closed and nodded like he wanted me to go on.

I did.

"I cried and ran up to my room. I was confused about him hitting me, and then confused on why he was always unhappy to see me when he came home drunk. It didn't take long for him to find reasons to yell at me. And then the beatings started. He had started to tell me he wanted dinner ready by 8pm…so I would cook every night. His wife wasn't happy with me either and she stayed away from the house a lot.

He would come home around 7:30 every night and yell at me for not having dinner ready. That's when he started taking his belt to me. When I started making dinner at 7:30 he started coming home at 9 and would beat me for having stale food sitting out for him.

After the belt didn't do what he wanted he started throwing me into walls and onto the floor a lot. He would kick me and hit me and tell me why he was so unhappy I was around. He would tell me he regretted my life and how I was such a burden to him and his wife.

When she was home, his wife would do things that seemed to always get me in trouble. She would start the dishes and then tell Charlie that I refused to do them. But I swear to you, Edward, she never asked me to do them. I would have, to make them happy, I promise I would have."

Tears were flowing down my cheeks faster than Niagara. Edward held on to me and continued to comfort me while I told him what had happened.

"I know, baby, I know you would have tried to make them happy."

I continued knowing that he understood a little bit of the big problem.

"There's more."

"Just let it all out." He assured me that it was a good idea for us to be talking about this….that he wouldn't ditch me in some dumpster just because of my fucked up past.

"I couldn't report any of it. I didn't have any other family than him. And I couldn't go to the police. So I went to school and then tried every night to avoid getting beat up."

Edward's face was tense. His lips were forced into a hard line and his eyes were angry.

I kept going.

"The beatings and abuse went on for two and a half years. One night he came home really drunk. I'm not sure how he always made it home, maybe it was his car. Anyway, his wife had already warned me that I was going to get it because he had been out so long. I went to hide in the closet I my room. I figured if he couldn't find me, then he couldn't beat me."

Edward held me tighter than he had been before.

"Hiding didn't work."

Tears started running down my face staining Edwards grey tee shirt.

"When he found me he dragged me out of the closet and started beating me. He kept telling me that no one wanted me. And that it was my fault for my mom dying and splitting them up and ruining the marriage he had now. That's when he kicked in my ribs and threw me down the stairs."

I was sobbing as I told Edward about the abuse.

"Baby, I need to know what happened next." Edwards voice was low and serious.

"When I hit the first flight of stairs I dislocated my shoulder and my nose was bleeding. He kicked me down the rest of the stairs and when I couldn't get up after he told me to, he threw me out of the house into the street."

Edward waited patiently for me to finish my story. Somehow he knew I wasn't done.

"I couldn't go to the police. So I walked until I couldn't focus anymore. I blacked out. When I woke up I was in a hospital with a 'Jane Doe' tag around my wrist."

My tears had started to let up a little bit. And I wondered what Edward's reaction was going to be.

"Why couldn't you go to the police, Bella?"

The tears came back heavy with the overwhelming feeling of helplessness I felt then.

"Charlie was the chief of police, Edward. No one would believe me if I told them that he was abusing me. And if they did they couldn't help me- he'd just beat me more until I said it wasn't true. I didn't have anyone to turn to."

I hugged Edward tightly. Probably too tight. But he didn't seem to mind.

"Bella, no body's gonna hurt you again. But I have to ask, why didn't they put you up in the adoption circuit if you weren't 18?"

"I lied. I told them I was 19. When they couldn't find anyone with my description in missing persons, I lied so they wouldn't put me in foster care. I didn't know what else to do. I just knew that I couldn't go back to living somewhere if I was hurt there all the time."

"How long have you been living on the streets, Bella?"

That wasn't something I was proud of. I didn't want to talk about the times when I was in trash cans looking for food. Edward would surely kick me out after I told him how I got by. He was already disgusted by me considering he had found me in his trash can looking for food when I first got here."

"Two years" I whispered. "I'm so ashamed. I didn't want to be. But I couldn't go back. I couldn't ruin their lives anymore than I had. That's why I can't stay here after my hands heal up. I don't want to ruin life for anyone else. I can't carry that around with me."

Edward took a deep breath. He had been so quiet. I was sure he was going to let me have it eventually.

"Bella."

He seemed to not be able to find the words he was looking for.

"Bella, I want you to know that you are never, ever, ever going to be a burden on me or my family. I didn't just bring you into my home because you may or may not have seen what happened in the alley that night. I brought you home with me because there's no reason for you to be living the way you were when I found you."

His voice was almost in a whisper as he spoke.

"I want you to stay here for as long as you can after we get all this witness shit solved. There's no need for you to leave. I don't want you to be ashamed of where you came from. And it sure as fuck wasn't your fault your mom left your dad or that she died or that he was too fucking evil and selfish to realize you did nothing wrong."

I shook my head no. "I can't fix this."

Edward put his hands on my shoulders and held me still. "Bella, there's nothing for your to fix. I'll take care of everything. Let me take care of you. I'll make sure no one ever hurts you again. You don't have to worry about money, or a place to sleep or food or anything."

The tears were back.

"Edward, I can't pay you back. I can't repay you."

He laughed lightly in that dismissive laugh people do when they aren't really willing to accept shit.

"I don't want you to repay me. I want to do this for you. Fuck, Bella, I feel like I need to do this."

We were quiet for several minutes. I was overwhelmed with him telling me that he needed to do something like look out for me.

"Look, just stay here with me. Get better- all healed up n' shit. And then we'll figure out what to do about everything else. No one is going to hurt you. You're not putting anyone out for needing help right now. We take care of our own, got it?"

I nodded.

"That's what Emmett said, too."

Edward started to rub his thumb across my cheek.

"And he meant it too, I'll take care of you, Bella, and I'll make this whole thing right if it's the last thing I do."


	13. Chapter 12: Getting Burned Sucks

**I don't own anything but an iPhone and a penchant for diet coke. Yeah, somehow, I'm gonna patent that addiction. **

EPOV

Bella had been sleeping for most of the morning after waking from her nightmare and explaining some of her history. I'd watched her sleep from the chair in the bedroom since I couldn't find it in me to go back to bed. I could hear her stomach growling in her sleep and knew she'd be awake soon and looking for food.

I didn't want to press her for more details about who and where Charlie was, but I knew soon enough she needed till in the details or I was going to go off on someone unnecessarily from being frustrated.

Emmett had told me already that he was furious about the information she had shared with him. I was too. I wanted to find Charlie and fucking rip him limb from limb. Not only did my anger stem from hearing about a father that beat his child, and a guy fucking terrorizing and abusing a girl, but after accepting my overwhelming feelings of protectiveness and affection for her, I wanted to do right by Bella.

After hearing her toss and turn and knowing she'd be hungry and awake in a little bit, I decided to go into the kitchen and make us breakfast. I felt the need to let Bella know where I was in the house so she didn't feel like I had just taken off after she had reveled why she had been homeless.

I left her a note.

_Bella- _

_Join us for breakfast when you're ready to eat. _

_-Edward_

Dallas and I walked into the kitchen and started pulling food out to cook. Emmett was passed out on the couch. But I knew as soon as he smelled food, he'd be awake and feign interest to get closer to the food.

I was right. The kitchen had started to fill with the smell of sausage and eggs and he started to stir on the couch. I plated up the food and pulled warm biscuits out of the oven and started to make gravy when he trudged into the kitchen and sat on the counter next to the fridge.

"Does she know you're cooking?"

I nodded.

"Did she tell you, yet?" Emmett looked like he was both nervous and concerned if she hadn't told me at this point.

I nodded again.

He sighed.

"What the fuck are we gonna do about it?"

I finished making her a plate and put it on the counter for her. I handed Emmett his plate so he could make his own damn food.

"I dunno yet. We can't draw attention to this right now so we're going to have to figure something out for later on. Right now I want someone with her at all times. Either it's you, me or Jasper. And since he has the puppies and kittens to take care of, it's you n me. I have to get back to work started today so I need to you to spend the day with her again. Invite the girls over and have them hang out too, but don't leave the apartment."

He had already inhaled his first plate of food by the time I finished thinking out loud. Bella quietly and slowly walked down the hall to the kitchen. She was a fucking sight to behold. She was wearing a dark pink zip up hoodie and a pair of black shorts. I wanted to stare at her longer but I was still putting the dishes up when she walked in.

She sat down at the counter in front of an empty space unassuming of the food almost in front of her.

I pushed the food in her direction and handed her a fork. Her hands were still bandaged, but not as heavily as they had been before. I watched her as she started to mix the food together in different combinations and take small bites of each.

"This is delicious, thank you." She looked up at me through her eyelashes at me and smiled warmly.

I bowed my head slightly and went back to doing dishes.

"Bella, I have to go meet with the boss today." She froze up and looked at me like I was a lunatic. I could hear her swallow hard on her last bite. She slowly put her fork back down on the plate and looked between me and Emmett. He was staring at me like I was an idiot for not explaining why and gave me a look saying as much.

"There's a lotta work I need to do for him. So I'm not gonna be back until late tonight. Emmett's gonna hang out with you today and I think the girls might be coming over later. You can do whatever you want around the house. Until I get some more information on what everyone thinks about the girl we found that night in the alley, I gotta ask that you don't leave the apartment still."

She nodded slowly.

"I feel safer here than outside. I won't be going anywhere." She had stunned me with the comment. And while she should feel safe here, her comment put me at ease too because she wouldn't be around anyone that could hurt her if she was here, with Emmett.

Breakfast went by silently among the three of us. I could tell Bella wasn't up for conversation yet. Emmett finished stuffing his face and excused himself to take a shower and get ready for a big day of video games, naps and surfing the internet.

When she was done eating I took her plate from her and started on the dishes. I couldn't help but check on her ever few minutes and found that she just sat at the counter watching me. It made me a little uncomfortable at first but when she didn't let up, it started to make me laugh.

"Something catch your attention that much?"

She blushed a bright shade of red and dropped her gaze from me.

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering if you needed any help. It doesn't feel right just sitting here watching you do all the chores."

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to her comment. I didn't want her working around the house and thinking that's what I expected of her. But I didn't want her to feel useless either.

"Your hands are still bandaged. I didn't want 'em getting wet with dishes or cooking. I think for right now you should just take it easy, okay?"

She nodded.

"I'm going to go take a shower. If I don't see you before you leave, um, be safe." She looked shy speaking to me but I was happy she did. Bella walked down the hall and I heard her close the door and start the shower.

Emmett walked back out a few minutes later as I was cleaning down the counters.

"Does she know about the room yet?" I shook my head 'no'.

He huffed and smiled, dropping it there. I walked back into the bedroom that connected with the bathroom Bella was in and opened the door to my walk in closet.

I closed the door to the closet almost completely since I didn't want her thinking I was in here being a fuckin' creep while she was showering. I pulled down one of my new grey dress shirts and a black suit. The ironing table was already out so I unfolded the shirt and set up the iron so I could get it ready to wear. I fucking hated ironing. Every damn time I tried, I burned myself. This time was no exception.

BPOV

I was still torn up inside from spilling my guts to Edward about my past. And I was convinced that he was going to come to his senses and get rid of me after everything I told him.

After falling back asleep I woke up to an empty room an empty belly. _Just like old times 'cept you've got this bed._ I looked around and started to crawl out of bed when I noticed the note on my pillow.

_Bella- _

_Join us for breakfast when you're ready to eat. _

_-Edward_

Us? I was hoping he meant Emmett, but I couldn't be sure. It wasn't really my place to ask or wonder, since it wasn't my house. I put on a hoodie over my black tank top and a pair of black shorts. I was utterly grateful that Alice had brought me clothes to wear. Getting dressed brought back my overwhelming feeling of guilt, though, that I couldn't pay any of them back for all their kindness.

I could hear Emmett and Edward talking as I walked down the hall but I couldn't make out what they were talking about.

The kitchen smelled amazing when I walked into the dining area. Emmett was sitting on one of the stools with an empty plate in front of him. There was another plate of food sitting next to him in front of the other stool and a third stool with no food in front of it. I didn't want to assume it was my food waiting for me next to Emmett, and plus I was a little nervous to sit next to him with food around.

When I sat, Edward pushed the food down the counter to me and smiled sheepishly.

We finished eating and I excused myself to take a shower.

The bathroom was still huge to me even though I had spent enough time in it getting help showering and changing my bandages. I turned on the water and unwrapped my still tender hands. They weren't scabbed over anymore, but the skin was still thin enough that Jasper had told me to keep them wrapped and dry when I wasn't in the shower.

When I stepped out of the shower I heard Edward cursing loudly from close by. My curiosity got the best of me when it continued. I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out of the bathroom to see what he was angry about. I could hear him every few seconds curse but didn't see him in the bedroom.

"Damnit!!! I fucking hate doing this shit!" His voice was loud but more petulant than angry. I peeked into a room that was connected to the bedroom I had been staying in and was shocked at what I saw.

It was a room as big, if not bigger, than the room I had been sleeping in. It was lined on one side with coats and jackets and shirts and on the other side there were pants and shoes. The wall facing the door was covered in ties and drawers and a mirror.

It was the biggest closet I had ever seen.

Edward was ironing a shirt in the middle of the room with his back to me. Every few seconds he would hiss and shake his left hand out.

"Um, Edward?"

He turned around with wide eyes to see me standing in the doorway. Suddenly I remembered I was in nothing but a towel and still dripping wet when his eyes raked over me from head to toe.

"Do you need help ironing that shirt?" He looked at the shirt and then back at me and shrugged.

"Nah, I'm fine." He turned to go back to finish the front of the shirt and burned himself again.

I walked towards him and reached for the iron in his right hand.

"Please, let me. I don't think your hands can take much more before they'll look like mine."

Edward froze as I reached out and took the iron from him. Our hands brushed up against each other and I felt the burn from his skin against mine as I had before when he touched my face. Edward stepped back and watched as I starched the shirt all over and then began to press it quickly.

"Where'd you learn to iron so damn well?" I laughed lightly, something I hadn't done in a long time. It faded quickly as I recalled why I could do what I was doing.

"I didn't just cook when I lived with Charlie. He had me do the laundry and iron his uniforms. It's what I did every morning before school for him and his wife."

Edward groaned. And for a minute I thought it was because I had done something wrong. I looked up at him expecting him to yell at me.

"I don't want you doing shit like this here. I'm not trying to be like that fucker."

He moved to grab the iron from me and I pulled my arm and the iron away. And while it successfully kept him from taking over, it didn't keep him from running into my left shoulder with his chest. He stumbled a little and put his left hand on my hip. And with his face so close to mine, I could feel his breath as he apologized for bumping into me.

I shook my head and tried to play off the fact that when he touched me my legs started to give out and my stomach started to do flips.

"Edward, I don't mind helping. Please, it's the least I can do while I'm here." He backed off and watched silently as I finished up the shirt.

"Are you going to change now or take a shower first?" Edward looked at me funny for a second while he thought about it.

"Um, I need to take a shower first. Why?"

"I was going to help you get the shirt on so you didn't wrinkle it." My question had been intended to be helpful, but I only felt stupid offering to help him get dressed. It was obvious he didn't want my help in any way. _Who wants a homeless girl helping them? Touching their things? _

Edward nodded and shook his head. "Thank you for the help, but I think I can take it from here. You should probably go get dressed. I'd hate for you to catch a cold, Bella."

I nodded and silently walked out of the closet. I gathered my clothes from the smaller closet in the room and went back into the bathroom to change.

Half an hour later, Edward walked out of the bedroom wearing a black suit and the grey shirt I had ironed and black shoes. His hair was messy but still short and I could tell that he had shaved.

I was sitting on the couch reading one of the books I had found in his library. He walked over to Emmett first and handed him a card.

"This is where I'll be if you need anything. My cell might not work. And Emmett, keep the safety on while I'm gone."

Emmett nodded. I couldn't figure out what he meant by safety, but he wasn't talking to me so it didn't matter.

"Bella?" Edward was looking at me with his deep green eyes but wore a nervous look on his face.

"Thank you for the help with the shirt. I didn't know if you needed anything, but if you do, here."

He extended his hand to me with a black card. I took the card and looked at it for a minute.

"But, I'm not going out, am I?" I was so confused.

"No, but if you want anything from online, feel free to use the card." I nodded dumbly. What would I need from the internet?

"Thank you?"

Edward nodded and left the apartment silently. I looked over at Emmett who was smiling at the magazine he had been reading.

I had tons of questions in my head that I wanted to ask Emmett, but I couldn't bring myself to push for answers. After finishing my book I decided that I would try and do something for Edward that would start to pay back all that he had done for me.

"I'm going to go iron some things. I'll be back in a little bit, Emmett." I announced as I was walking towards the huge closet I had found Edward in earlier. Emmett nodded and went back to his magazine.

I was determined to pay back Edward for his help if it was the last thing I was going to do.

**A/N: So I know that the last two chapters seemed a lil slow. There's a reason for that…it's leading up to SOME HEAVY SHIT!!! I'm so excited. Anyway, I'm sure all of you have seen the MVA extended clip of New Moon. It's f'in fantastic. **

**There were a ton of questions about Bella's age…and Edwards age… here's the answer to that question…Bella's almost 20 and Edward is 26. Good? Great. I'll be writing a little bit over this week and then a lot after the 26****th**** when things at work die down an itty bit. **

**LEAVE REVIEWS!!! I kinda look forward to them every morning, damnit!**


	14. Chapter 13: Out In The Bars, part 1

**A/N: I don't own anything having to do with these characters…'cept for some inappropriate thoughts after seeing the newest tailor for New Moon.**

"For as long as I remember  
I ran a life of crime  
Harmed everyone that I know  
Stolen what's not mine  
Problems solved through violence  
Feelings dulled with booze  
Father always yelling at me  
Shape up or you will lose

The law's closing in on me...  
Just made a BOLO list  
Hear this confessional  
These are the tales of the mean fist  
The tales of the mean fist"

"Mean Fist" –Street Dogs

Emmett POV

I'd been alternating between Edward's Xbox 360, texting Rosie, and reading the playboy I'd hid behind a couch cushion so Bella wouldn't notice when the house phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Um, sir, this is Tyresse downstairs, there is a group of police officers waiting to see Mr. Cullen with a warrant. I let them know he was not here but they have insisted they can search the premises as well."

M-O-T-H-E-R-F-U-C-K!

"Stall 'em Tyresse." He acknowledged he would do the best he could and I hung up the phone.

"BELLA!!!! Come here, baby girl!!!" I yelled while I was texting Edward and our lawyer on my iPhone. Piece of shit keyboard.

I knew Edward didn't keep anything incriminating in his house, but I didn't know what kind of I.D. Bella had on her or how that whole goddamn cluster fuck would go down.

She came out into the hall with raised eyebrows. I didn't wait for her to ask me what was going on.

"Bella, you got any identification on you?" She nodded slowly, "my driver's license." Fuck.

BANG-BANG-BANG

"Police Department! Open this door before we knock it down!"

Oh Fuck.

I looked over at Bella. She was frozen in place with the most terrified look on her face. It was worse than the look she'd had when she met me. Tears started pouring down her face and it occurred to me she was afraid Charlie would find her when I opened the door. I could tell she was starting to hyperventilate when the cops started fucking busting in the door.

"Bella, look at me. They're here for Edward. They're going to cuff us and take us down to the station. I don't want you to say a mother fucking word, got it?"

She didn't say anything. She didn't move.

"BELLA! Not a mother fucking word, okay? You have to let me know you understand!!!"

She snapped out of it for a second and nodded. "I understand, Emmett. Not a word."

The cops knocked in the door right after she whispered her understanding. I held my hands up letting them know I wasn't armed. The couch was, but I wasn't…good thing I had it licensed in my damn name. It was one of the few guns that were fuckin' legal.

I wasn't banking on the cops having the drug dogs, but it didn't matter. Edward didn't keep anything in the house and I hadn't "indulged" as Rosie called it in a couple of weeks. It was just as well, anyway, 'cause if Bella had been hiding, they woulda' found her and the dogs probably woulda' tried to bite her.

"Emmett McCarty, what a pleasant surprise. You're coming down to the station with us for questioning."

I smiled, this part of the raid, I knew. It was Bella I was worried about. I didn't know how much she could take.

"You bring the jewelry? Or should I go back to the bedroom and get what I used on your mom last night?"

The cops, of course, had no mother fucking sense of humor and knocked me to the ground, cuffed me and started to drag me out of the apartment.

I could hear them accosting Bella as they tried, somewhat unsuccessfully to drag me down the hall. I gave 'em the dead body treatment and relaxed the whole way down the hall.

"What's your name?!?" She said nothing.

"Here's her ID- You're coming down to the station with us for questioning as well. Are you going to give us trouble like your friend?"

They fucking cuffed her anyway, but they left her hands in front of her. It might have been because of the bandages, but it might have been because of the silent scared as hell treatment she was giving them.

When we got to the station they led me to a holding cell and threw my ass in with the other general offenders. No one said or did shit to me. Smart fuckers.

I watched as they escorted Bella into an interrogation room and closed the door. She was in there alone. I knew that technique…it was called the sit n' stew. Had she done something wrong or been hanging out with someone that had done something wrong, she'd start freaking out right about now.

I was confident that she wasn't freaking out about being implicated in anything. She was, however, probably freaking out about the prospect of having her ball sack scum of a dad walk in the station.

I watched as a big fuckin' cop walked into the room and locked the door behind him. I swore right then and there I'd murder the bastard if he hurt Bella.

Fifteen minutes later he walked out of the room with a pissed off look on his face.

"She won't even fuckin' tell me her name. We know it thanks to her ID but she won't tell us shit, Captain."

The Captain told him to leave her in there for a while longer alone. My face was still pissed looking even though inside I was doing a fuckin' happy dance that she had listened to me.

There was some commotion at the front of the precinct when I saw they had Edward in cuffs. He was fucking pissed off from the look on his face but he was walking heavy and tall.

They opened up the holding cell next to mine and threw Edward in it. I waited until they walked away and walked over to the wall that divided us.

"They've got Bella in the interrogation room over there. She's not said a word."

"Good. Did you call Dimitri?"

"Yeah."

"Good. This is their once a month bullshit. It'll blow over."

******

DUH DUH DUHHHHHHNNNNNNN….

Maybe….just maybe I'm writing the second half of this right fuckin' now!!! Review and let me know if you're ready to read what happens next!!!


	15. Chapter 13: Out In The Bars, part 2

Still don't own anything…but I'ma bout to buy Mother Lover by Justin Timberlake and Andy Sandberg because it's the funniest fuckin' song I've heard since "I'm on a Boat".

Bella POV

Emmett yelled at me from the living room and I panicked. I turned off the iron and walked into the hall to see what was going on. He was in a panic texting on his phone and yelling for me at the same time.

Emmett asked me if I had any identification and while I was starting to wonder if he was ADHD I figured I'd try and answer before I made any official conclusions. I told him I had my driver's license on me. Although, I was pretty sure it was expired. It was the only thing I had on me from when I had been in the hospital.

BANG-BANG-BANG

"Police Department! Open this door before we knock it down!"

Oh no.

Emmett looked over at me and knew it had to be Charlie. He had found me. I started crying uncontrollably, but surprisingly, silent heavy tears. My breathing started to get caught in my throat and I knew I'd be passing out soon if I saw his angry brown eyes.

I heard Emmett's voice but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I was watching the door knock back and forth as the cops were banging on it. _He's going to kill you, Bella. Either Edward is or Charlie is. This is it. It's over. _

"BELLA! Not a mother fucking word, okay? You have to let me know you understand!!!"

I heard Emmett yell my name again and tell me not to say anything this time. "I understand, Emmett. Not a word."

Emmett gave the officers a huge dimpled smile and put his hands up in the air. I stood there with my arms wrapped around me quickly breaking down on the inside. There were dogs barking and cops with gloves on that started to work their way through the apartment with flash lights and funny looking glasses on.

I watched as they hand cuffed Emmett and dragged him out of the apartment. The two officers holding a blue piece of paper came up to me and asked me if I had any identification when I wouldn't tell them my name. I couldn't move.

I could feel their hands patting me down and pulling my arms from around me. I didn't struggle. I just put my hands in front of me and let them cuff me. They led me through the apartment door and down the elevator into the back of a black SUV.

Emmett had told me not to say anything. So I didn't. Thinking about who to side with wasn't hard. I associated the cops with Charlie and Emmett and Edward with safety and care. I knew who I wanted to be loyal to. And if Emmett asked me to keep my mouth shut, I would no matter the cost.

Two large officers led me into a small room with a mirror and a metal table. They pushed me into a metal chair and walked back out.

My tears had stopped by now because I knew that crying was close enough to telling them everything, and Emmett had asked me not to. So I bottled it up and stared at the floor for something to focus on.

I didn't know how long they were going to leave me in there, but I had heard Charlie talk about doing this to people he had arrested. The only fear I had was that the next person to talk through that door would be him and that I couldn't handle.

I had been trapped by him before, but in his home. And now I was trapped as a prisoner in his world, not just his house. So much more could be done to me here and it seem legal.

The door handle turned and I swallowed hard. A tall, large build officer walked into the room alone. It wasn't Charlie. And that's all I needed. There was nothing he could say or do that would make me start talking to him.

"Isabella Swan…My name is Detective Black."

I didn't even look up to acknowledge him. I kept staring at the flip flops Alice had bought me after my feet started to heal.

He waited for a long time before he spoke. It didn't bother me.

"Do you want to tell me what happened to your hands?"

I shifted my attention over to the leg of the table. There was a glob of dirt on it that grossed me out enough to keep me from focusing on his words.

"You're not under arrest, here. We just wanted to ask you some questions about why you were in Mr. Cullen's apartment with Mr. McCarty. What is your relationship with those two men?"

I tilted my head but said nothing.

He slammed his hands down on the counter making me jump slightly.

"You need to talk to us! We want to help you and protect you!!"

I pursed my lips but didn't change my line of sight.

Detective Black huffed and stood back up. He walked out and I could hear him complaining to someone on the other side of the door.

The room stayed empty for another half hour at least. I could hear muffled voices outside but I couldn't make out any of them.

The door handle started to turn again and my heart started to race once again.

A tall man with dark slicked back hair and dark eyes walked into the room. He was not a cop. He was wearing a grey pinstriped suit with a grey tie and a white shirt. He was carrying a briefcase. He looked at me warily but walked in none the less. He set his briefcase down and sat across from me.

"Bella, my name is Dimitri. I'm Mr. Cullen's and Mr. McCarty's attorney. They've hired me to work for you as well."

My eyes must have grown wide because he smiled slightly.

"Don't be alarmed. I won't be charging you anything for my services. You're not under arrest. But you were present when a warrant was served so you were brought for questioning. Can you tell me why you were there?"

I still didn't know who this guy was from any of the cops that I had been around. And Emmett had told me to keep my mouth shut.

"Bella, I can assure you, I'm not here to harm you. Mr. Cullen wanted me to let you know that no one is going to hurt you. And if any of the officers have threatened you, now is the time to let me know."

I shook my head slowly, no.

"Very well, I will be wrapping up the paperwork for you. I will be back in twenty minutes and you will be released."

Dimitri stood up and walked out of the small room. I didn't make a move to change my focus. I could hear him talking to someone about his clients and people arguing behind them.

Fifteen minutes later the door swung open with Detective Black and Dimitri standing in the doorway.

Detective Black walked in and stood close enough to me that I could smell his cologne and something that smelled like onions.

"Bella, you're being processed and then released so you need to come with us." I looked up at Dimitri and he nodded. I stood up. The cuffs were still around my hands and they were starting to hurt my wrists, but not cut into them.

I walked out into the hall and looked around for anyone I might recognize. Emmett was standing tall in a cell across from the room I had been in. He smiled wide when he saw me and raised his eyebrows to silently ask me if I was alright. If I could have smiled, I would. But I was so uncomfortable thinking that Charlie might show up any minute. And I wondered where Edward was and if he was alright.

Detective Black led me to a counter where a woman with frizzy red hair sat typing in her computer.

"Bella, it would be a very good idea if you did not continue to socialize with the likes of Edward Cullen and Emmett McCarty. They're bad news and bound to get you into criminal trouble one of these days."

I looked at Detective Black and then at Dimitri who looked unhappy yet smug.

"It would behoove you to avoid slandering my clients, Detective Black. Now un-cuff my client seeing as how she has done nothing wrong and is not under arrest."

Detective Black unlocked my cuffs and let my hands go. He tried to speak to me again but Dimitri ushered me out into the foyer of the precinct.

"Bella, wait here. Talk to no one. I'll be back in five minutes. Do not go anywhere. Do you understand?"

I nodded. Until I talked to Edward or Emmett, though, I didn't trust him so I knew I wouldn't go anywhere with him. I was on the verge of finally breaking down, though, and knew I needed to be somewhere to do that soon.

True to his word he walked out five minutes later with Edward in front of him. Edward looked furious and was rubbing his wrists as he quickly walked towards me.

He stopped a few inches in front of me and wrapped his arms around me. He hugged me hard and ducked his head down towards my ear.

"Bella, are you okay?" He whispered. I nodded into his chest. I could tell I was about to break, though. I took a deep breath and wrapped my arms around his waist.

His arms stayed wrapped around me, but I felt our bodies shift as he talked to Dimitri.

"Dimitri, go get Emmett out. We'll be at the house. I want him free before the sun comes up, do you understand me?"

I could hear Edward's voice growl through his chest as he spoke. I hugged myself into him harder and tried my best to hide my face from anyone that might be Charlie or know him.

"C'mon, Bella, lemmie take you home. Let's get the fuck outta here."

I nodded again and let him lead me out of the precinct to a black sedan waiting for us.

*****

Next up…Edward's POV and then this chapter is d o n e. I won't be writing that till tomorrow 'cause it's my damn bedtime. BUT review lots and maybe I'll throw a preview your way. It's someone's birthday coming up and there's a big party doing down that I bet all of you are dying to read about!

Night night!


	16. Chapter 13: Out In The Bars, part 3

**A/N: So…some of you offered me cookies. Others should have offered cider. Either way, here is another pov from the raid. **

**I own nothing 'cept a penchant for getting distracted by and their free music playlists. **

**Enjoy. And fuckin' review!! I LOVE….LOVE….LOVE….FUCKING LOVE reading them during my day at work. I get every single one via email. And some of you know I respond to them quickly!. **

I'm born to trouble  
I'm born to fate  
Inside a promise  
I can't escape  
It's the same old world  
But nothing looks the same

"Make it Rain" –Tom Waits

EPOV

Work had been mundane most of the day. The boss had me hanging out listening to his bullshit about the East side and West sides of our city fighting. I didn't give a fuck who was drive by-in' whom. All I wanted to do was hang out with my friends and get back to what I was fucking good at- killing people that deserved it.

Speaking of which, I had been spending a lot of time thinking about that piece of runny shit Charlie. I knew it would take a little finesse to off a cop, but it was doable.

The boss and I hadn't talked much about parties coming up but I knew he wanted to put in his two cents about my birthday. He kept asking me shit about where I was going and what my plans were. I got the impression that he wanted to go all out for the damn thing.

I did not.

He got the call around 4pm that sent me down the street to pick up a few sandwiches and a few cases of cash we were due from the local pool halls.

I had known that we'd been being followed since I'd made it back from the cabin trip. I was carrying my favorite 9mm Glock on me when they picked me up for questioning.

"Edward Cullen?" Like they needed to fuckin' ask.

"You come for an autograph? Cause the book signing is at three, boys."

They held up their smug faces and their little blue sheet of paper saying they had a warrant.

"Nice paper, but as you can see, boys we're on a public street, not much searching you can do here and call it circumstantial."

"Mr. Cullen, you're being detained for questioning in a disappearance, we need you to come down to the station with us. This warrant is to search your property. As we speak, officers are searching your apartment."

S-O-N-O-F-A-B-I-T-C-H

I didn't want them to think I was hiding anything at the house so I kept my smirk on my face. And maybe, just maybe, Emmett had gotten Bella out of there before the cops showed up, but I doubted it.

"You'll be riding with us, so we're cuffing you." I knew it was standard procedure for them to pull this bullshit.

I held my arms out in the air so they could frisk me and both my guns. One of 'em was licensed, one was a gift from genetics. Heh.

When they found my piece in my back waist band, they all scrambled like I was wearing a suit made of c4.

"Mr. Cullen, you're under arrest for the possession of a fire arm."

"A licensed fire arm, get it right."

"In that case, Mr. Cullen, you're under arrest for the possession of illegal ammunition in said legal fire arm."

Maybe they were a lil smarter than I thought. I shrugged, Dimitri would have me out of this in 20 minutes.

"Might as well put on the bracelets, then. Unless your sister's still using them at my place 'cause last night she was begging me to cuff her to my headboard and fuck her up the ass over and over again."

They got pissed like I figured they would and dragged me to a cruiser that had blocked my walk across the street.

They didn't say anything as they drove to the precinct, but I knew I'd have company there if they'd found Emmett and Bella.

As they were pulling me out of the cruiser one of their smaller officers started to feel like a big Ike and mouthed off to me.

"You'll be sad to hear we picked up that retarded goon at your apartment. He had a whore with him. She's here too."

His first mistake was talking to me.

His second was calling Emmett retarded. Granted, he was a goon, but so was I.

His last mistake was calling Bella a whore.

I bent down enough to spring up from my spot and shouldered him in the face knocking his nose back into his head. The bigger officers quickly pulled me back and kept me from lunging back at the fuck face crying about his nose and how he couldn't breath through it any more.

"Enough, Cullen, let's go."

I let the rest of the officers escort me into the precinct and spotted Emmett standing tall in the cage. He looked happy to see me but I could see concern on his face. _They must have Bella. _

The stupid cops put me in a holding cell next to, but separated from, Emmett's cell. Like that was really gonna keep us from talking.

"They've got Bella in the interrogation room over there. She's not said a word."

I was pissed off that they had her in an interrogation room when she hadn't done shit. I was also concerned that they'd call her fuckin' sorry as hell excuse for a father.

She was almost 20, though, and she might not have id on her. So if she didn't say anything to them, they'd probably just let it rest. That is if Dimitri was fucking here.

"Good. Did you call Dimitri?"

Emmett was still the same dependable, goofy fucker, I'd always relied on.

"Yeah."

That settled it, we'd be out within the hour if Dimitri was here soon enough.

"Good. This is their once a month bullshit. It'll blow over."

I knew they were just trying to rattle my cage and find a weak player to deal up with to take down the boss. But that wouldn't fucking happen with me, no way, no how.

We waited for at least half n hour before Dimitri walked in. He spoke to the head dick and then walked towards me n Emmett.

"Mr. Cullen, I'll have you out within the hour. Mr. McCarty, they're trying to push for resisting arrest, I'll have you out before the end of the night."

Emmett nodded and looked at me waiting for me to tell Dimitri about Bella.

"Dimitri, you have a new client. She's in there. Tell her that I said she wasn't going to have to pay for anything and that no one would fuckin' hurt her. I want her out of here first. And make sure none of these fuckers touched her."

Emmett smiled.

"Absolutely, Mr. Cullen. It'll be done within the hour as well."

Dimitri nodded and walked into the interrogation room.

As soon as he was in there, a couple of detectives pulled me out of the holding cell and moved me into the room next to Bella's.

The first thing they did was flip on the two way mirror so I could see Bella staring at the floor. She looked mother fucking stressed out.

She wasn't crying. That was a good thing. There was no need for her to cry. The look on my face must have looked the same and that sparked the detective's attention.

"She's already told us what we wanted to know about you, Cullen." The skinny, short detective talking to me seemed to think I gave a shit about him and what he had to say. I leaned back, cocked my head at him and stared at him like he had something interesting to say.

I didn't say shit. He smirked.

"Did you know her daddy's a cop?" Now, if this had been some Leave it to Beaver shit show, and I was a lot nicer than I am on the inside, that would have scared me. But this wasn't a fucking sitcom, this wasn't a situation where I was afraid to associate with anyone. And this sure as fuck wasn't a situation where I gave one flying fuck about Charlie and his abuse towards the girl in the next room.

"Yeah, I know Charlie. He gave me his blessing. What's it to yah?"

The officer looked a little taken back when I knew the fucks name.

"You got anything to say for the charges brought against you?"

"Yeah, talk to my lawyer."

"Nothin' else, Mr. Cullen?" Of course they'd ask for more, they always did.

"Yeah, I'd tell you to suck my dick but I'd hate to get herpes from that mouth of yours. Besides, your sister deep throats."

Fuckers.

Dimitri walked in to the room within a minute of me almost getting punched in the face by the cop that had been trying to work me over.

"Mr. Cullen is being released. You're done talking to him unless you have an arrest warrant for something else. And I've talked to the judge, nothing will be issued until you have concrete proof this time, officer Black."

"It's Detective." He snarled.

I mean mugged him all the way to the processing counter. Emmett was still waiting in the cell when I walked by. He knew it wouldn't be long until he was out too.

The bitch behind the counter with red frizzy hair kept smiling at me like she had something I wanted. She didn't.

When Black took the cuffs off me, he looked pissed as shit to have to let me go.

"Where is she?"

Dimitri pointed outside to the hall where Bella was standing with her head down and her arms wrapped around herself. I could tell she was freaking out on the inside still and didn't want to be anywhere near a police station.

I walked out to her quickly and stopped right in front of her. She looked up at me with big watery eyes and I knew this had fucked with her big time. I reached out and pulled her to me to make sure she was okay and because, really, I couldn't help myself.

I needed the comfort as much as she fuckin' did for some reason.

I inhaled her hair and smelled her shampoo and something that smelled like dry cleaning.

She smelled amazing.

"Bella, are you okay?" I knew we were in public so I avoided making a scene out of the whole thing. I whispered.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and sent my heart soaring. I knew this time she was completely coherent when she was hugging me, even though it was a stressful situation. And fuck, she was hugging _me_ as much as I was hugging her.

I felt her nod her head and hug me tighter. I turned towards Dimitri with her still firmly attached to me.

"Dimitri, go get Emmett out. We'll be at the house. I want him free before the sun comes up, do you understand me?"

Bella tightened her grip again and I couldn't help but relax a little more knowing that she trusted me enough to hold on to me. I was sure she was hiding her face from anyone that walked by. And I didn't know how to break it to her that they knew who her father was. Had they said anything to her?

All I wanted to do was take her home and get her to talk to me so we could figure this shit out.

"C'mon, Bella, lemmie take you home. Let's get the fuck outta here."

She nodded again into my torso and let me lead her out of the building with her body tucked under my arm and into my side. We climbed into the black sedan the boss had sent for me, no doubt.

Bella didn't let go of me even though she had climbed into the car.

I was silent in the car, and so was she, because I didn't really want any fucking driver to hear my conversation with her.

The ride was short back to my apartment. I walked arm in arm with Bella back into my apartment saying nothing to the doorman as we walked to the elevator.

Bella's steps had started to get heavier and slower as we got to the apartment and I was worried she was going to break down before we got into my apartment.

When the elevator doors closed I finally spoke to her.

"Bella, we're almost in my apartment and…" my phone started buzzing… "Fuck, baby, hold on." I could feel her nodding in my jacket as I answered the phone. It was Emmett.

"You back at your apartment yet with Bella?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She doing okay?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

Emmett sighed, "I think they bugged your apartment. They had guys with tool kits and gloves on looking like they were CSI bitches but I bet you anything they were bugging the place. Don't say anything until I get over there with Dimitri. We're two minutes out."


	17. Chapter 14: Elevator Musac Sucks

A/N: I only wrote a little tonight because it had been on my mind all damn day. There were over 1500 hits to this story yesterday. I would love to read what you think about this…so leave a review. They brighten my otherwise busy and hectically stressful work day.

Also, more drama to come up soon…we're gonna go over a few drama hills before the climax…so strap yourselves in.

BPOV

"Alright, take the stairs. Call me when it's done." I heard Edward end his call with Emmett.

Edward sighed deeply and I could hear it down in his chest.

I wanted to look up at him to see what his face said, but I was balancing myself between a nervous breakdown and hyperventilating…or both. And I knew that if I looked up and saw his eyes, I'd give up and slip into whatever was pulling me down.

I felt him reach and hit a button on the wall of the elevator. It stopped. He sighed again.

He leaned up against the wall pulling me with him.

"Wanna sit down? We're gonna be here for a while."

I nodded into his side. He lowered me down with him into the floor of the elevator. I resettled myself in between his bent legs. I felt enveloped by his arms and legs and left my face buried in his chest.

"We can't go into the apartment yet, so I figured we might as well chill out here. You're not claustrophobic, are ya?"

I shook my head, 'no'. He sighed again.

"Bella, Emmett is searching the house for bugs. He thinks the cops planted a bunch of 'em when they raided the place." I could hear him around me and through is chest still with my head buried in it.

Tears started to roll down my cheeks staining his shirt.

"Bella, what is it? You can talk to me, tell me what's stressing you out."

"Edward, I thought Charlie was here. I thought he was here to kill me. And then when it wasn't him, I thought you'd kill me because the police were here to take me away and I didn't want you to think that I would tell them anything. I promise you I didn't call them. And Emmett told me to say nothing and so I was silent. But….but….I….I…ca….can't….hold….it…."

Edward pressed his face into the top of my head and started to shush me quietly. I was sobbing. The stress and the fear had overtaken me and I'd finally cracked.

He started rocking me back and forth and whispering something inaudible in my hair. I could feel his warm breath on me and it started to calm me more than I'd been able to do on my own.

"Bella, take a deep breath, honey. Please take a deep breath."

He was still silent. I had started to sob quietly.

We must have sat there for fifteen minutes. He kept soothing me, and my tears couldn't stop, but we stayed quiet.

I was shaking and he was holding on to me. No matter what, he was holding on to me.

I looked up at him finally. His eyes were closed. And he looked deep in thought. When he opened his eyes I could see the worry and the fear in his eyes. And there was something else, something I couldn't quite place. It looked a lot like confidence or pride, maybe.

He started to wipe away the tears on my face and held his hands to my face. I couldn't help but stare at him.

"Bella," his eyes were searching mine for something, "I told you, I know for a fact I fuckin' told you, that I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Charlie isn't going to fucking touch you. No one is going to fucking hurt you. That night I found you in the dumpster, Christ, I knew I needed to look out for you. I needed to help you. I wanna fuckin' help you."

I didn't know what to say. My natural reaction was to deny the help and discount myself. I didn't say anything. I just shook my head.

Edward firmed up his grip on my face. He looked determined to convince me of what he was saying.

"Bella, you need to know that I don't know what the fuck kinda' power you have over me, but I want to be near you, to touch you, and above all else to take care of you. I told you I would watch out for you, and that means I'm not give up on making sure you're safe. You deserve to have someone watch out for you. That doesn't make you weak. Please let me do that for you."

He was dead serious. And it scared me a bit. But not in a bad way. It scared me because I had hope.

Edward was still looking deep into me when his phone started to ring.

He answered it. He nodded. And hung up the phone.

"Emmett cleared the house. You ready to up there?"

I nodded this time.

We stood up silently and while I felt like it would have been okay for me not to hold on to Edward, I couldn't stop.

I reached back towards his waist and wrapped my arms around him. He tensed up at first but slowly wrapped his arms back around my shoulders and held on to me tightly as the bell for our floor rung and the doors opened.

Emmett welcomed us at the door with a nervous look on his face. When Edward stopped and I looked up at him, he jumped forward and enveloped me in huge hug and started swinging me around.

"Bella, you did fantastic!!! I'm so proud of you. Holding your ground, keeping quiet, you couldn't have done any better. I owe you everything!"

I didn't understand these two. Emmett said he owed me everything and yet, all I did was remain loyal to him by doing what he asked. I stayed quiet. I was so confused.

"Put her down, Emmett, she can't breathe."

Emmett laughed and put me down. He looked at me with a happy look on his face. I was still looking at the two of them with shock.

"C'mon, Bella, let's go inside." Emmett escorted her into my apartment. Dimitri was standing by the table waiting for us. I wasn't sure why he there, but I guessed that Edward and Emmett had some business to take care of.

"Bella," Edward whispered to me, "go freshen up, we need to talk to Dimitri, alone."

I nodded and walked into the bathroom.


	18. Chapter 15: Legal Jargon

**I own a case of the flu. I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

Bella walked down the hall and closed the door to the bedroom. I hadn't wanted to have to leave her alone so soon, but Emmett and I needed to clear a few things up with Dimitri before we sent him on his way.

"Mr. Cullen, Mr. McCarty, we need to discuss the dates of your hearings and the other matters at hand." Dimitri looked over his shoulder and we both knew he was talking about the girl in the bedroom down the hall.

"Alright Dimitri, make with the detention dates and let's get it over with." Emmett wasn't interested in dragging this out more than I was.

Dimitri nodded. He pulled out his blackberry and started typing an email to us.

"I'm emailing you the dates of your hearings, Mr. Cullen- for your weapons charge. And Mr. McCarty for your, quote, resisting arrest charge. The two of you need to show up early for the hearings and we'll take care of the charges then once and for all and have them expunged from your records."

Emmett cleared his throat. "Dimitri, what about Bella? Did she get charged with anything?"

Dimitri shook his head 'no' and hesitated for a moment.

"Mr. Cullen, Mr. McCarty, Ms. Swan was not charged with any crimes. There were some interesting questions about why she's in the city and has not been active in the driver's license, voter's registration or credit reports systems. While I did not answer them as she was protected as a client, I have to ask, where did she come from and what does she mean to the two of you?"

Emmett scoffed.

"They ran a credit report on her? How the hell could they do that? She wasn't trying to take out a police credit card."

Dimitri looked slightly nervous.

"Forgive me, Mr. Cullen, but no they did not. My office did. When the questions came up about her I had them run a background check on her. Both for the safety of you and Mr. McCarty, but also as standard protocol as a client. Carlisle has us do that for everyone. I can assure you, though, none of that information will be shared with anyone."

I felt a surge of anger roll through me as he looked at us like he'd just been busted doing something we'd asked him to avoid doing…not too in trouble, but not off the hook.

"If I may ask, sir, what is she to the both of you? Not having a financial history such as she does suggests she might be someone that is not the most friendly to the organization and may actually be a plant."

While Emmett and I were both furious about the intrusion on her privacy, we were taken back with his suspicions that she might be a plant by the feds or a spy or some shit.

We both looked at each other with that question in mind and quickly started cracking up. Bella, a plant? No fucking way. A spy? Laughable.

Emmett and I doubled over in laughter.

"Dimitri," Emmett started in after we had lost our breath and had to recompose ourselves, because, really, it wasn't funny, "Bella's a very close friend to me and Edward. She's very important to both of us and we want nothing but the best for her. She'll be staying here for a while anyway, so you may see more of her if we get raided again."

I smiled, he'd explained it well.

"Dimitri, I want you to find out what you can about her father, Charlie. It's important, also, that he not be able to find her under any circumstances. So do not release where she is to anyone, understood?"

Dimitri nodded and I could tell he had more questions.

"If Carlisle asks, tell him to talk to me about it directly." I said with a tone of authority in my voice.

"Understood, sir. Thank you for clearing that up. If there is nothing else, I will be going. Have a good evening gentlemen."

We nodded and watched as Dimitri walked himself out of my apartment. Emmett let out a huge breath he'd been holding.

"Is she okay?"

I nodded. "She broke down when we were waiting for you to finish in here. I need to go check on her in a minute."

It was his turn to nod.

"Check on her and come back out here. You know we gotta uphold the tradition." He smiled hugely and nodded his head towards my bar.

We had made it a tradition a few years back that after every arrest and successful release back into society that we get as drunk as possible and try to get arrested again by acting like fools.

I thought about it for a minute and for the first time in a long time, well, maybe ever, I didn't want to try and get thrown back behind bars. I wanted to stick it out here and watch over Bella.

"I'll drink you under the table McCarty, but I'm not going out this time 'round. Someone's gotta keep an eye on Bella, remember."

He understood.

"You go check on her and I'll get the bourbon out."

**A/N: just a quick bit before we get back deep into the story. For those of you that aren't happy with the short chapters…think about it like this….I could write really long chapters, spend weeks editing them and send one out maybe twice a month. And I bet you'd bitch about how long it takes between updates. Or I can type when I get the time, post often, and then you have something to read more often than not.**

**You let me know…leave a review.**


	19. Chapter 16: Knob CreekIt's Ambrosia

A/N: Thank you for reviewing. And thank you to everyone that cleared up the preference of chapter length. There's a sweet surprise in it for you this time around. I'll be posting a couple of times this week, but none this weekend. Because, and make sure you mark your calendars, it's my birthday this weekend.

Enjoy the story and what should be a goddamn national holiday.

EPOV

I walked into the bedroom to find Bella passed out on top of the bed spread. It looked like she was sleeping pretty soundly, although she looked uncomfortable.

I stood next to her watching her sleep curled up. She looked cold and stressed still. And while I didn't wanna have her waking up in the middle of me helping her out with her pajamas, I didn't think she'd mind if I helped her under the covers. I pulled back the covers on the opposite side of the bed and waited to see if that woke her up. She didn't budge.

I thought about walking back over to the other side of the bed but figured it would be less work if I just crawled into bed and moved her that way.

I had been on the bed with her before. Nothing new there. But for some reason after having her hold on to me so tightly in the elevator even after we'd finished our little talk, this felt like more of a personal intrusion than before. Well, maybe not intrusion, but at least it did something more to me this time than when I was helping move her around the apartment when her feet were still healing.

I slipped my arm under her knees and around her shoulder and roller her towards me to keep her from slipping out of my arms. She stirred a little bit and nuzzled her face into my collar bone.

"Hmmm, Edward, don't let go."

I froze.

Her words rushed through me like mother fuckin' electricity. I promised myself that second that I wouldn't let go of her. I couldn't. She'd done something to me.

"Shhhh, go back to sleep Bella."

She nodded and drifted back to sleep. I tucked her in quickly and scribbled a note for her.

_Bella- _

_Emmett and I are drinking in the living room. We'll be here all night. So if you wake up and want to come hang out with us that would be rad. _

_-Edward_

* * * * *

A couple hours later and half a bottle of Knob Creek, Emmett and I were really drunk. We had been laughing for half a hour about the look on Detective Black's face when Dimitri told him we were both going home that night.

Since we'd decided not to go out and try for round two, we spent most of the night laughing and joking about how stupid the cops were in this town.

Emmett had been asking me little questions here and there about Bella until he finally came out with the one I'd been waiting on all night.

"When are you gonna tell her how you feel about her?"

I laughed lightly. More from nervousness than anything else. _You nervous? Get a grip, Cullen. _

"Fuck if I know."

He looked at me like I was holding back. I was.

"Man up, Edward. You need to put yourself out there for her. I did it for Rosie and look what happened."

I thought about it for a minute.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that…I told you not to fuck with her."

He laughed.

"Maybe she fucked with me."

We both laughed 'cause we knew he was right.

"Anyway, listen, I'm gonna come clean with her soon enough. I juss dunno how to kheep frum frightenin' 'er."

Emmett laughed at me pretty hard that time. I was drunk as hell. My face had gone numb and I had stopped paying attention to the time.

I was surprised that Bella hadn't come to find us since I was sure we were being loud as hell.

"Edard!! Heh heh. Lhet's jhust gon checkh on hur."

"Ghood ideauh."

We gathered ourselves and stumbled arm 'n' arm back to the bedroom. We knocked lightly and more fell through the door than walked through it.

Bella was curled up reading a book. She looked very entertained when we trudged into the room.

"Hi boys." She sounded sad still but still happy to see us being idiots.

"Hi Bella!" we yelled in unison. Apparently we were deaf when we drank.

She giggled and it instantly made me smile. Hearing her happy made my fuckin' heart soar.

"Do you guys need help getting to your rooms?"

Emmett started laughing so hard he doubled over. I glared at him knowing why he was laughing.

"What's so funny, Emmett? I can help out, can't I?"

Emmett held his hand up to stop her from asking more questions. And I almost stopped him myself but my mind and my body had stopped working in unison after our last round, it seemed.

"Edward doesn't need any help getting to his room, Bella."

She looked confused. I groaned. I didn't want her freaking out about the whole thing.

"Bella, this _is _Edward's room… heh heh… so you don't need to help him!"

Emmett seemed to be sharing this information only in good fun but I could see the shift in her thoughts from confusion to panic.

"Edward? Is that true?"

I cursed Emmett under my breath and nodded.

"I chan explhain, Bhel…Bella."

She shook her head 'no' and climbed out of bed.

"It's not time for that now. You boys need water and Tylenol before you crash. I'll be right back with two glasses and a pitcher of water. Emmett, you should sit down before you fall."

I was again jealous at how comfortable she seemed talking to Emmett, but not me. I my drunken haze, I must have followed her directions and hit the floor because it was the last thing I remember.

O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O

Stay tuned…and maybe check your email in a few…


	20. Chapter 17: Hangovers and Makeovers

A/N: So maybe there was more to the last chapter than I published…heh heh heh. Let me just say, it's gonna take a little longer for me to write Bella's POV. And maybe she heard a little more than Edward remembers. Duhn duhn duhhhhn. I don't own anything…

Enjoy and please REVIEW!!!

EPOV

My body was stiff and apparently stuffed with toxic waste, 'cause that's how I felt. I could tell I was still on the floor but I'd managed to find a pillow under my head and a blanket wrapped around me.

It must have taken me a good five minutes to figure out how to open my eyes. When I did, I found that it was useless to keep them open and quickly closed them back.

My leg was vibrating and I wanted it to stop. It felt like I was on a goddamn tilt-a-whirl vibrating around in circles.

It finally stopped moving on my leg and I tried to drift back to sleep.

I heard Emmett grumbling but didn't open my eyes to see where or how he was.

My leg started moving again and I seriously considered cutting of my leg to make it stop.

"FUCK EDWARD! Answer your damn phone!!!"

Emmett was more awake than me, apparently.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and held it up to my ear.

"Somebody better be mother fucking dead."

"Edward!! Good, you're awake. I'm headed over in three hours to pick Bella up."

Alice wasted no time in annoying the fuck out of me.

"Lower your damn voice. I'm not deaf, just very very hung over."

"EDWARD!!! Three hours, can you make sure she's ready?"

I pulled the phone away from my face and groaned. And then it hit me…_Bella? Pick her up? Where the fuck was she going? _

"I'm taking her to get a haircut and some color for the big party."

Fuckin' Alice could practically read minds.

"Mmmmmmm, NO."

There was a pause and I waited for the full brunt of her anger to blow out my other ear drum.

"Please??? I think it would be nice for her to get out and get her hair done. Last time didn't go over so well and since she's already been out of the house and been safe, I figured it wouldn't hurt any to get her ready for your birthday."

I groaned.

"Alice, she'd been in fuckin' police custody. Only they could have fucked with her and that's not who I'm worried about, anyway. So….NO you can't take her out."

Again I waited for the screaming to start. I was taken back when she dropped her voice and pulled a Rosie move.

In almost a whisper she said, "Now you listen to me, Edward Cullen, either you let me take Bella out for a girls day or you leave the damn apartment and let me bring it to her. Either way, she deserves to be treated nicely by someone other than the three goons she's been forced to hang out with for the past three months."

Okay, so she left me with a choice.

I rolled over on my back and thought about it for a minute.

"BELLA?!?"

A few seconds later I heard her pop around the corner from the hall and walk closely to me.

"Edward? Are you alright?"

I held out the phone to her and smiled, my eyes were still closed but I imagined she was very confused.

"Phone's for you, sweetheart."

She took the phone and shyly answered it.

There were a few 'mhmm's' and 'yes' from Bella and I could hear Alice rambling on the other line.

I didn't want Bella going out without one of us but I didn't want to restrict her from doing something that she might really enjoy considering Alice was right- she had been cooped up in my house with a bunch of goons for the past few months.

Her shy voice sounded scared when she asked Alice if I could come with her.

I heard Alice say 'nope'.

And then Bella spoke up with news that was music to my ears.

"I would much rather get ready here then, I feel safer here than I do out and about."

They talked for a few minutes more. And with Bella around, I was comfortable enough to start to drift back into a light but nauseas, sleep.

"Um, Edward?" I cracked an eye in her direction. Bella was holding the phone back out to me. "She wants to talk to you again."

I took the phone and listened to Alice tell me that under no circumstances was I allowed to hang out in the bedroom or bathroom of the house today so I was to sober up and find something to keep myself busy in the living room.

I happily obliged by telling her I'd be passed the fuck out on the couch for the rest of the day.

I hung up the phone and started to drift off again when I heard Bella's voice again.

"Um, Edward, there's breakfast in the kitchen if you and Emmett are hungry and up for eating. I think it would do you some good. Do you need help getting up?"

It occurred to me then, thanks to drunken flashbacks, that I'd passed out on the floor. And that Bella was probably responsible for the pillow and blankets I'd been outfitted with.

I shook my head.

"Can't eat. Need water."

I heard her giggle a little and it again made me smile.

"If you'll get up, I'll bring you water and help you get set up on the couch. I'd hate for Alice to yell at you when you get here."

I nodded and rolled onto my stomach to push myself up. There was no way I was having Bella help pull me off the ground with her hands still healing.

"I'll be in there in a second. Is that mother fucker Emmett awake?"

She giggled again.

"He's already on one of the couches. He crawled in there on his hands and knees while we were talking to Alice."

That asshole. Now I had to walk on my own. I climbed up onto my two very heavy feet and stumbled into the living room. Bella followed behind me with the pillow and the blanket she'd apparently planted last night.

"I'll leave food out if you two get hungry. There's water on the table and Gatorade if either of you need it. I'm going to go clean up the kitchen. I hope you feel better, Edward."

I nodded and waved her off. I was incredibly thankful for her help but couldn't verbalize it…I was pretty sure I might still be drunk.

At some point I heard Alice come into the apartment and her and Bella talking and laughing. It was a far cry from the last time Alice had brought over anyone to help Bella do anything, and I was happy for that.

I musta drifted back off to sleep because the last thing I remember hearing was Alice telling Bella to look out for me and Emmett after our hangovers started to wear off and Bella telling her she'd be happy to help us out.

For the first time in a long time, I was happy to suffer a hangover if that meant Bella was going to help me recover.


	21. Chapter 18: Drunk Chatting

Sorry this took so long. I don't own anything…

BPOV

"_Bella, go freshen up, we need to talk to Dimitri…alone." _

I had been distracted and nervous when we walked in and saw Dimitri standing there with Emmett. I quickly came out of my haze when I was thrown into the land of confusion by hearing Edward tell me to freshen up.

I complied, though, because I didn't really want to hear more than I should.

I closed the door behind me as I walked into the guest bedroom and sighed heavily. I was drained emotionally and physically from all of the drama from the day.

I had gone from trying to do something nice by ironing for Edward to being interrogated by Detective Black all in under 10 hours.

I washed my face and climbed onto the bed to read. I didn't know how long it would be before Edward and Emmett and Dimitri were done talking. I knew, though, that I had no business being anywhere near them as they talked. I wasn't one of them and I needed to stay away from anyone that knew about Charlie other than Emmett and Edward.

I couldn't help but berate myself for giving in and breaking down with Edward. I had totally used him as a crutch and it was wrong of me. He had done so much to help me. Even considering the circumstances, he had helped me. And all I had done was cause him and Emmett trouble and lay my problems on him.

Somewhere between self loathing and trying to read I drifted off to sleep. My dreams weren't that vivid this time. At one point I felt very warm like I had when Edward had carried me before. I could smell him and hear his breathing as if he were really next to me in bed. In that moment I felt so happy that he was close I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want him to let go. I couldn't let him go. My dream was so vivid I could hear him in my sleep whispering to me.

It was the best sleep I'd had in a long time.

I woke up to the sound of Edward and Emmett singing and laughing and banging around in the living room.

I could smell Edward around me and wondered why it was so strong. It made me feel comforted but I longed to be near him like I had been in the elevator.

When I rolled over I heard the crinkling of paper. I opened my eyes to see a note on the pillow next to me.

_Bella-_

_Emmett and I are drinking in the living room. We'll be here all night. So if you wake up and want to come hang out with us that would be rad._

_-Edward_

I smiled. It was nice for him to invite me to the party they were having. Although, I was nervous about the drinking part. The only people I had been around that drank were Charlie and his friends. Somewhere in my heart I knew they wouldn't hurt me like Charlie had, but I was still nervous about being near people drinking.

I folded the note up and used it as a bookmark from where I had dropped my book. The noise had died down from the living room. I thought it might be a good idea to check on them—to see if they'd passed out.

I didn't want to wake them if they were sleeping so I quietly walked down the hall. I heard Emmett talking and stopped in my tracks.

"When are you gonna tell her how you feel about her?"

I heard Edward smirk-laugh. He sounded nervous.

"Fuck if I know."

There was a pause.

"Man up, Edward. You need to put yourself out there for her. I did it for Rosie and look what happened."

I was stunned.

More scared that they would hear me and yell at me for eavesdropping, I turned back into the bedroom and shut the door.

I climbed back into the bed and tried to focus.

My heart was beating hard in my chest and my eyes were stinging. I was still confused. I had convinced myself that I was nothing but a burden to him and here I was hearing that he didn't know how he felt about me.

I had started to calm down when I heard them banging down the hallway shushing each other.

There was a light knock at the door and then I saw them fall through the door. They were very, very, very drunk.

My nervousness had died down enough that I was entertained by their intoxication and their boyish behavior.

"Hi boys."

"Hi Bella!" They yelled in unison. It was surprising to see how coordinated their brains were when their bodies weren't.

They were incredibly loud- apparently they were deaf when they started drinking.

I couldn't help but giggle. Edward smiled with a goofy grin on his face that only made my head swim.

They seemed pretty drunk and I wondered if they'd need help.

"Do you guys need help getting to your rooms?"

I had asked with the utmost sincerity. But I felt instantly bad and insignificant when Emmett started laughing.

"What's so funny, Emmett? I can help out, can't I?"

I was starting to tear up. I couldn't figure out why, really, other than feeling like I wasn't good enough to help them.

Emmett's laughter started to die down and he shifted between me and Edward. Edward looked like he was going to shove Emmett.

"Edward doesn't need any help getting to his room, Bella."

I was immediately confused. Edward groaned loudly and started to roll his head like he was getting angry and stretching out his neck. _I knew drunk meant angry._

I shook my head, still confused, and wondered if things were about to turn ugly.

Emmett was still smiling.

"Bella, this _is _Edward's room…heh heh..so you don't need to help him!"

Fear and shock ran through me.

Edward started cursing and mean mugging Emmett. I looked at Edward and then back at Emmett. Emmett seemed pretty proud to have shared the information with me, but Edward seemed furious.

"Edward? Is that true?" I took a huge risk asking him when he had the look on his face that he did. But I had to know.

He cursed more and then nodded.

He drunkenly tried to offer an explanation. I shook my head and started to climb out of bed. I could tell that he wasn't mad at me so I pushed.

"It's not time for that now. You boys need water and Tylenol before you crash. I'll be right back with two glasses and a pitcher of water. Emmett, you should sit down before you fall."

I was nervous around Edward. I felt a pull towards him that I kept trying to stand on the edge of. It was easier for me to talk to Emmett and tell him what to do. It made me feel like it made Edward angry at me, like his feelings were hurt for me ignoring him.

When I walked back into the bedroom I saw Emmett passed out on the floor. It made me smile that such a big guy could look like such a cute kid sleeping on the floor.

Edward was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed rolling his head back and forth.

I assumed he wasn't mad, so I didn't speak up loudly. Plus I didn't want to wake Emmett.

"Edward, are you okay?"

He stopped rolling his head. He opened his eyes and looked down at me with a solemn look on his face.

His voice was deep and he spoke with such calm emotion.

"Bella, I needed to tell you… I'm sorry."

I was confused again. I looked into his eyes to try and search for some explanation but I didn't understand the look in his eyes.

"I don't understand."

I was still looking at him when I felt his hands rest on my hips. At first I was startled but then it felt right. Strange and right.

Edward dropped his head and nuzzled my hair. I rested my head on his chest and took a deep breath. It was like the dream I'd had.

"Bella," he sighed heavily, "I need you to know I really fuckin' care about you. I want to be with you."

A/N: night night.


	22. Chapter 19: Hangovers and Makeovers BPOV

I don't own anything from Twilight. Tomorrow is my birthday so no more updates from me this weekend. Go celebrate and leave me a review OR TWO…there have been over 25,000 hits to the story…and so few reviews. Por que?

_BPOV_

"_I need you to know I really fuckin' care about you. I want to be with you."_

Edward had forcefully whispered those heavy words into my hair and I didn't know how to respond.

I didn't want him to get angry with me for not responding so I said the most I could muster considering where I was and what had been said…and who was touching me.

"That means a lot to me, Edward."

He kept his hands on my hips but moved them up and down slightly causing me to feel wave after wave of bulldozing butterflies in my belly…it felt like they were in a demolition derby.

We stood there for several long minutes before either of us started to move. I didn't want to annoy him, but I really enjoyed breathing him in through is shirt. I could feel the warmth off his chest and it made me feel at home.

"Fuck….I'm drunk as hell."

I nodded,

"We should get you into your bed." I had tried to think of a nice way to suggest he sleep in his own room after hearing that I'd been invading his space this entire time.

He shook his head 'no'.

"Bella, I'm not climbing back in that bed till you're all healed up and ready to share."

I blushed hard. Was he asking me to sleep with him? I wanted in that moment to tell him I was ready. To tell him I wanted to sleep next to him and stay wrapped in his arms all night long.

"Where will you sleep then?" Edward didn't say anything.

"I need to sit down. Will you get me that glass of water now?"

I made sure he slid down the wall without hurting himself. When he was finally resting against the wall like we had been in the elevator I turned to get the water. I poured him a glass and heard him shifting around.

When I turned back around he was stretched out on the floor on his front completely passed out. I rested the glass next to him on the floor far enough away that he wouldn't knock it over in his sleep and went back to the bed.

I pulled off two pillows and two blankets from the side table and walked back over to the two snoring men sleeping in the floor.

I knew it would be a bad idea to touch either of them while they were sleeping. Emmett had already pulled a gun on Edward once for waking him unannounced in his sleep. Instead of risking it I pushed the pillow up to Emmett's face and left him to feel around for it himself.

I didn't know how Edward would react to me trying to help him get more comfortable, but I decided I would risk it.

I slid my fingers into his hair and gently lifted his head to slide the pillow under it. I thought he had been completely passed out.

He grabbed my wrist tighter than Charlie used to and held on to it without moving the rest of his body or even opening his eyes.

I was scared but I knew that now would be the right time to tell him who I was and what I was doing.

"Edward, it's Bella. I just want to put this pillow under your head."

He 'mhmmed' in his sleep but didn't let go of his death grip on my wrist.

"Edward you're hurting me. Please let go of my wrist. I'm not trying to hurt you."

His brow furrowed and he let go slowly.

"I'm sorry baby. Come to bed, honey."

I knew he was really really drunk if he thought he was in any kind of bed. But his invitation sounded so … nice.

Imagining him holding me at all was amazing. Him holding me in bed was even more exciting. But it wasn't something I had ever really done before. I had never been with someone like that.

When I was in high school I had been over to other girls houses for sleepovers, but nothing like this- nothing with boys. Especially boys that said they liked me.

I didn't really know what to do about any of it.

_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_

When I woke up the boys were still passed out on the floor. I knew that Charlie always complained about how bad he felt after a hard night of drinking so I assumed this would be no different.

Charlie had always told me to make him a huge breakfast after a night of drinking. While back then I did it to avoid getting beat, now I wanted to do it because I thought it would be a good idea to do something nice for the guys.

I had started cooking everything I could find. I kept waiting for Emmett to come barging in. He didn't.

"BELLA?!?"

I dropped the knife I was using to cut fruit when I heard Edward yell for me. I quickly walked back into the bedroom wondering if he was going to yell at me or tell me that he remembered all that he'd said the night before or ask for a favor.

I was paranoid and anxious as I walked down the hall. I poked my head around the door to see Edward

in the floor next to Emmett with a cell phone in his hand. He was holding it up in the air.

"Edward? Are you alright?"

He smiled. I could hear Alice on the other end of the line talking as if he was still listening to her.

"Phone's for you, sweetheart."

My heart fluttered as he spoke to me. It was simple and normal for him to say things like 'sweetheart' and 'baby'. But they still made me feel good.

Alice was telling me about a plan she had for his birthday party that was going to be tonight and how she wanted me to go out with her to get all dolled up for the big event.

I was nervous about the idea of leaving the apartment without Edward or Emmett with me. So I asked if one of them could tag along.

Alice quickly replied with a "NOPE."

I wasn't going to argue with her because that would be rude, but I wasn't going out without one of them.

"I would much rather get ready here then. I feel safer here than I do out and about." And it was the truth- on the streets I had been physically hurt, sick and tired. Here I had people that I cared about that seemed to care about me.

I didn't stay sick or tired.

Alice tried to work out the details—she was more talking to herself than she was to me so I listened and agreed at different times during her plan.

And then she asked to speak to Edward again.

"Um, Edward?" he looked like he was sleeping. "She wants to talk to you again."

I gave him the phone and watched as he started to wake up more. He was beautiful. Even when he was hung over and apparently not feeling well because he kept his face scrunched up and his eyes closed.

I wanted to make sure he knew there was breakfast whenever he wanted it before he drifted back to sleep all the way.

"Um, Edward, there's breakfast in the kitchen if you and Emmett are hungry and up for eating. I think it would do you some good. Do you need help getting up?"

He shook his head 'no'.

"Can't eat. Need Water."

His short pouty sentences made me giggle.

"I'll be there in a second. Is that mother fucker Emmett awake?"

I couldn't help but giggle more as I watched him clumsily get up from the floor.

"He's already on one of the couches. He crawled in there on his hands and knees while we were talking to Alice."

I watched as he stumbled back through the doorway and headed towards the living room.

I waited until he was a few feet in front of me before I started to follow him into the living room.

"I'll leave food out if you two get hungry. There's water on the table and Gatorade if either of you need it. I'm going to go clean up the kitchen. I hope you feel better, Edward."

I wanted so very much to be extra nice to him after the kind things he'd said to me last night. He nodded and waved me off. It seemed like he wasn't too concerned about what he had told me, though, and that made me a little hesitant to get my hopes up about him and his feelings for me.


	23. Chapter 20: Champ For My True Friends

**Thank you for all the birthday wishes and reviews. I don't own any Twilight stuff…and this is just part one of the birthday party. Oh, and yes I stole a line from the 25th hour...**

EPOV

Alice wouldn't let me anywhere near my room the entire day while the girls were getting ready. By 8pm I'd had enough.

"Alice!!! How in the hell am I supposed to get ready for my own birthday if I can't get dressed?!?"

All I heard was giggling. That frustrated me even more.

"C'mon Alice! Emmett's waiting for us to fuckin' go! I need to shower and find something to wear!"

There was more giggling and then silence.

Finally the door opened and a suit bag was shoved in my face.

"Here Edward, go get ready at Emmett's. There's everything you need in the suit bag. Meet us at the club. Jasper will be with us so don't worry about Bella."

You have no idea how much it frustrated me to be told to get ready somewhere other than in my own fucking bathroom.

"But Alice…"

"No but's Edward!!! You're not gonna see Bella 'till the party. Now Go!!!"

She slammed the door back in my face leaving me standing there like a dumbass.

I heard more giggling. I'd had enough of their giggling and secrecy, I was done with all of it.

"Fine!!! You sure as hell better not be late!"

I stormed off before I could hear either of them giggle any more about locking me out of my own damn bathroom.

BPOV

Alice had dragged me into the bathroom almost immediately after she'd arrived at the apartment. I knew she wasn't going to push me into getting a manicure or a pedicure, but that didn't mean I was safe from a haircut and color.

She led me into the bathroom to once again meet two people that looked like the two I'd met before. I was nervous and hesitant to let them touch me. But I trusted Alice more than I had the first time around so I understood what her intentions were.

"Bella, no manicures or pedicures this time. They're gonna put some red in your hair and trim off the split ends."

I nodded. It all sounded pretty harmless to me. I sat in the chair Alice motioned towards and tried my best to relax.

Alice sat across from me while someone worked on her hair but they didn't seem to be coloring it- they were just putting it up for her.

"Now listen, Bella, we're going to a huge club to celebrate Edwards birthday. And before I tell you about the club, I need to tell you about who's going to be there."

It must have been obvious that I tensed up because the girl doing my hair stopped and Alice looked at me with her eyebrow up in the air.

"Bella, don't panic. That's why we're coloring your hair, sweetheart. No one will notice you when you're all dressed up and looking like one of us girls."

"But what about the two guys that saw me that night?"

I was starting to breathe heavily. Alice was deep in thought as I started to panic more.

"Alice?"

She looked at me and seemed to remember what we had been talking about.

"Okay…um…well…they're going to be there. But here's the plan…We're going to stick by you and your job is to be nice to everyone and give simple answers if anyone asks you anything."

I nodded. It's all I could do really.

Four hours later Alice let me have a break from getting "updated" instead of "made-over".

"Bella, your dress is hanging up in the bedroom and your shoes are in there too. I put everything that goes with it on the bed. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR HAIR!!!"

I walked back into the bedroom and looked around. My dress and underwear and shoes were all placed on the bed. The dress was a pretty dark grey-almost black dress. It was sleeveless and a wide shallow neck. The top part of the dress was sheer over a low cut tank underneath. From far away it looked vintage. Up close, though it looked really expensive and new.

The shoes she had laid out for me were high heeled and had a thick part on the foot.

"They're platforms!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Alice fastening a deep green giant stoned bracelet around her wrist. She was wearing a white tube top mini-dress that had ripples up and down it.

"Oh, they're beautiful."

"They're Jimmy Choo!"

I nodded as if I knew what that was. I got dressed and walked down the hall to meet Jasper and Alice. The heels were a little difficult to walk in, but I managed as long as I was walking slowly.

Jasper was wearing a black suit with a white shirt. He didn't have a tie on and he looked really handsome.

His eyes got big and he swallowed hard.

"Bella?"

I blushed hard and looked down at my dress.

"You look beautiful, Bella."

I nodded. "Thank you Jasper."

"How are your hands?"

They were still wrapped and it was one of the things I was really unsure about with the whole going out to the party thing.

"They're still a little sore and red."

"Ohhh! I almost forgot!!! Bella, I got you these. They're totally in style right now so they won't look out of place."

Alice handed me a pair of really soft black leather fingerless gloves. They were short and buttoned just above the palms.

"Thank you. For everything."

Alice nodded and Jasper held out his arm.

"The car's waiting, shall we?"

We walked downstairs and up to a black limo waiting for us. I was really blown away by how fancy everything seemed.

On the car ride over everyone seemed excited but quiet.

"Bella, I forgot to tell you, and this is important, don't drink anything anyone buys for you, just what you order for yourself or one of us gets for you, got it?"

I nodded.

I was about to ask why but the car stopped and the driver got out to open our door.

Alice leaned in and took my hand.

"Just stick with us, everything will be fine, you look amazing!!!"

"Thank you, Alice."

This was the first time ever that I had been among this many people in one gathering. Sure I'd been to dances at school and things like that, but I had never done it dressed like this…with people like these.

Jasper took my arm and Alice's arm and walked us through the door into a huge club. It was loud and dimly lit and there were lights going off everywhere. Jasper stopped us as we got towards a dance floor and he looked up to the second floor.

A tall man with blonde hair was standing against the railing wearing a white tuxedo holding a glass of champagne. He looked down at the crowd and smiled when he saw Jasper and Alice. He didn't stop smiling when his eyes fell on me, but he didn't look very happy either.

I tried to find something else to look at when my eyes rested on the man standing next to him. Edward.

He looked beautiful in his grey suit and black shirt. And it dawned on me, our outfits matched.

He smiled warmly at me and nodded towards Jasper and Alice.

The crowd hushed as the man in the white tux lifted his glass.

"Thank you for coming everyone. In my time there have been many come and go."

Everyone chuckled.

"But never in my time have I met a finer man than the one we are celebrating tonight. And believe me; I wouldn't be saying that just because he's my nephew. Let's celebrate tonight. Drink up and wish Edward happy birthday!"

The crowd cheered and raised their glasses to the balcony where Edward and his uncle were standing.

Edward lifted his hand and the crowd once again got silent.

"Thank you for coming tonight, I'm glad to see all of you having a good time. I don't have much to say, just a line from a favorite movie: Champagne for my true friends, and true pain for my sham friends. Please, have a drink on my uncle."

Everyone started clapping and waiters brought out trays of champagne. Alice grabbed two and handed me one while Jasper watched us drink.

The party was lively and people started to dance around us. Alice pulled on my arm and motioned towards a section roped off from everyone else.

"C'mon, let's go sit with Emmett and Rose!"

I nodded and followed them. Two very muscular men opened the walkway closed off with a velvet rope for us and then closed it back as we passed through.

Everyone nodded and smiled. I sat next to Alice and looked around. I didn't see the two guys that had seen me in the dumpster, but I thought they might be near.

I was sipping on my third glass of champagne when Edward walked up to the area we were sitting in.

He sat across from me and laughed and talked with Emmett. He said something to Emmett and he nodded. The music was loud enough, though, that I didn't hear them.

Realizing that the champagne had passed through me quickly, I told Alice that I needed to go to the restroom. She nodded that she'd come with me.

I followed her towards the ladies room but saw there was a line out the door. One girl left the bathroom and Alice turned to me to see if I wanted to go in first.

"It's okay, Alice, I'll wait until the next girl goes. Meet me out here?"

She nodded and went into the bathroom.

As she went in the men's room door opened and Edwards' uncle walked out with the two guys that I had seen in the alley walking behind him. He stopped just before walking by me and looked at me. He smiled a suspicious smile.

"Do I know you?"

I shook my head 'no'.

He held his hand out so I extended mine. He looked at my gloves and smiled a little wider. He kissed the top of my hand sending shivers down my spine.

"I saw you walk in with Alice and Jasper. What's your name, beautiful?"

I swallowed hard. I was still waiting for the two guys behind him to recognize me.

"Bella, sir."

He chuckled a little at my response.

"You are beautiful, I'll give you that. Boys, have you ever seen such a pretty girl before?"

**A/N: If you liked this.... leave a review and you won't have to wait until the start of next week to read the next chapter. HINT HINT **


	24. Chapter 21: Friends Some I Hardly Know

**A/N: I don't own squat. And thank you for the reviews…as many of you said… "more please!"**

"Am I loud and clear? Or am I breaking up?

Am I still your charm, or am I bad luck?"

-"Swing Life Away" –Rise Against

Psstt….that's the song I wake up to every morning!!!

___________________________

"_You are beautiful, I'll give you that. Boys, have you ever seen such a pretty girl before?"_

I stood there frozen. Waiting. To see if the two men standing behind Carlisle recognized me at all. The tall black man looked at me and smiled as he lifted his nose in my direction. He blew me off. Phew.

"Have we met before, beautiful?" The blonde man asked me. I tried to make myself look thoughtful for a moment before shaking my head and smiling.

"I don't think so, what is your name?"

He smiled wider.

"Mike"

"It's nice to meet you, Mike." He nodded his head like he was so proud I had met him…it was strange.

Mike smiled wide. He leaned in and whispered something to Carlisle making him nod- just like Edward had to Emmett.

Carlisle pursed his lips and thought for a moment.

"No, Mike, you can't have this one. I think I want to introduce her to my nephew the birthday boy."

The blonde looked angry and petulant for a moment longer than any normal flirter should. Then he smiled with a wicked smile on his face.

"You just wait pretty girl, after he's done using you, you'll be looking for someone to buy you more pretty things. You look me up then, and don't forget- the name's Mike."

I nodded. I didn't know what to say to that- these aren't my pretty things? I already know Edward? It's not like that between Edward and I?

I said nothing.

Carlisle held his arm out to me and nodded just like Jasper had. Alice walked out of the bathroom as Carlisle was waiting for me to take his arm.

"Bella! The bathroom is all yours. Oh, Carlisle! How are you?!?" Alice ran up to Carlisle and hugged him.

"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment."

The men nodded and Alice beamed at me. My stomach was in knots.

I quickly walked into the bathroom and peed. I wanted to stay hidden in there until Alice came back in alone, but I knew she wouldn't do that because there was no reason for me to hide- not unless I wanted Mike and the other guy to know I'd met them before under more, um, interesting circumstances.

I washed my hands and checked my makeup. I looked paler than usual thanks to my nerves. I walked back out into the club. I was hoping that they had left. My hopes were quickly crushed as a heavy arm was draped across my shoulders.

"Are you sure we haven't met before?" Mike had waited right by the door for me. I wondered for a second if he did remember me and he wasn't sure or was just playing a game with me until I cracked and admitted we had seen each other before.

"I'm pretty sure, I'd remember a face like yours, Mike."

He smiled and laughed more to himself than at my lame attempt at flattery. It more distracted him than impressed him, I'm sure.

"Well, either way, you let me know when he's cast you aside. He does it to all his bitch…uh…lady friends."

Mike had successfully made me feel like trash- more so than I had when I was homeless and living in a dumpster.

"Mike, that's enough. No need to be rude to our new friend."

Carlisle practically bit his head off the way he snapped at him. As soon as his name was called, he dropped his arm from my shoulders. I looked up from the spot I had been examining on the floor. Mike looked somewhat pissed off that he had been scolded.

When I looked around, I noticed that we were in eyesight of the section that Alice and I had been sitting in before. Edward was sitting between two very beautiful women- both wearing red dresses that almost matched. One was blonde with curly hair and the other was the same redhead I had seen at the police station- with the firzzy hair. It was pulled up in a frizzy bun this time, though.

They both had hands on Edward and they were talking to each other over his lap. The girl with the red hair started rubbing his leg and kissing his neck. But when my eyes traveled up from her lips to his eyes I was shocked and scared at the same time. Edward staring daggers at Mike and I. He looked as angry as he had looked when my hands were cut and bleeding. This time, though, he looked even angrier than he had.

Carlisle extended his hand to me and I took it. Anything to get away from Mike.

He walked me towards the section we had been sitting in and waited until Edward stood to greet us. The girls that had practically been molesting him looked like someone had taken away their favorite toy. It was in that moment I felt like I knew what Mike meant by 'casting his lady friends aside'. Because in that moment, Edward hadn't even acknowledged either one of the girls that seemed to be so into him.

"Carlisle."

"Edward, I want to introduce you to Bella. I met her en route back from the men's room. Mike seems to have taken an interest, but I wanted to make sure you got first dibs. She came with Alice, so I wasn't sure if you'd met her yet. She's quite fetching, though. You two even have on the same color tonight! Who would have guessed that would happen…"

Edward leaned his head forward a little and ran his hand through is hair. He started to chuckle.

"Carlisle, you have excellent taste in women. And thank you for bringing Bella back from the bathroom unscathed. We met earlier."

Carlisle nodded. "Very well then, I'll leave the two of you be."

Edward nodded back at him. And then they both looked at me.

"Carlisle, it was a pleasure meeting you, thank you for walking me back."

He smiled, kissed my hand again and waived off the two girls that had been planted in Edward's lap.

"Ladies, there's someone I want to introduce you to…someone more down to your level." The girls looked excited since they hadn't understood his double meaning.

Edward moved over on the couch and put his arm behind the seat I was offered by Carlisle. I sat down across from Alice and Jasper. Emmett and Rose were nowhere to be seen.

The music seemed to get faster and more people rushed towards the dance floor.

I was somewhat nervous sitting so close to Edward. I was torn between knowing that he had confessed feelings for me at his apartment just the evening before but now he had been ignoring me completely.

"Happy Birthday, Edward."

I had to lean up to whisper in his ear because of the music, but he nodded as if to tell me he heard me.

He looked about the club once more. He didn't say anything to me for a few minutes making me more nervous than he had holding me up against his door the night before.

He reached in front of him and poured a glass of champagne and handed it to me. As I took it, he leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Bella, thank you for coming out tonight, it means a lot to me to have you here." I smiled. He wasn't ignoring me like I had thought. And while he wasn't ignoring me, I didn't expect him to say much more to me for the duration of the night. I was pleasantly surprised, though.

"You look beautiful tonight, by the way."

I blushed hard. "Thank you Edward. And you should know, I'm more than happy to be out celebrating with you on your birthday. Thank you for allowing me to come out."

My gratitude had been completely sincere but the look on Edward's face didn't interpret as understanding of my gratitude. He almost looked angry as if I had been dismissive and sarcastic.

"Bella," he was practically growling at me, "I don't want you to think I'm trying to hold you hostage, damnit. I needed to see if those idiots recognized you. And I needed Carlisle to meet you as if you were just one of Alice's friends."

Edward had intended for them to run into me? What would have happened if they had recognized me?

I stood up angry and feeling betrayed. Edward grabbed my wrist and held on to it like he had when I had tried to give him a pillow.

"Bella! Wait!"

I pulled my arm from him and stumbled forward a bit catching myself on the edge of one of the couches.

"I don't understand why you'd treat me so well only to use me as bait, Edward!"

I stormed off and pushed myself through the crowd on the dance floor. I could feel the tears starting to burn my eyes. I could hear Edward yelling after me but I didn't stop to listen for him.

**A/N: Okay okay…you all begged and begged to know what happened at the meeting. That didn't mean I was going to end the night with the next chapter. Mwuahaha. Leave a review…and I'll see what I can do about another update this weeky week. Toodles!**


	25. Chapter 22: Leaving The Club

A/N: I don't own anything….

I ran through the bodies pressed together on the dance floor as fast as I could. I didn't know where I was going or what I was going to do but I wanted to be as far away from Edward as possible in that moment.

I could hear him yelling over the people and the music but that didn't stop me from trying to run faster. It was near impossible, though, being in the middle of all of those people made me feel like I was trying to run through snow deeper than me.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist but I still tried to get away from them.

"He get rid of you that quick, baby girl? I knew he'd cast you off after he got his shot in."

It was Mike. My stomach dropped and I felt sick.

He pulled me tighter into his chest and started to move his hands further down south on my hips. I could feel him breathing on my neck. It was sickeningly hot. I tried elbowing him off of me, but my efforts didn't seem to make a difference.

"Leave me alone!" I started to cry and beg him but the music was loud enough that no one paid us much attention. They didn't know who I was and it didn't matter even if they did.

I was still struggling to get free from his grip when I heard Edward's voice behind us. He sounded more angry and violent than I had ever heard him before as he spoke.

"Mike, get your fucking hands off of her!" Edward growled at Mike.

Mike didn't follow Edward's orders. He seemed to pull me towards the door and hold me tighter with more determination than he had when he thought I was just running out of the club.

Mike turned us around to face a very angry looking Edward. His fists were clenched and his head was dropped like he was getting ready to charge at us both. He didn't look down at me; instead keeping eye contact with Mike the whole time.

"What the fuck, E? You've already had your fun with the ho', now it's my turn. You've never seemed to care before! What's so different about this one? We can share if you really want to."

Both of them were scaring me, but I couldn't help it—I wanted Edward to swoop in and rescue me in that moment.

"Let go of me!!" I cried again. It was more like a whimper, though, as the alcohol and adrenalin and fear was starting to break me.

Mike looked down at my face and smiled like he had when we met.

The crowd had started to back away from the three of us after hearing Edward yell. We were obviously making a scene now between me trying my hardest to pull away from Mike's painful grip and Edward staring him down.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Emmett pushing his way through the crowd. I tried my hardest to turn myself to see what he was doing but mike had a strong grip on my torso.

Emmett didn't stop walking when he hit the edge of the crowd. He stormed right up to mike with a few feet between them and pulled out a large black handgun.

Emmett the gun against Mike's temple and waited for him to pay attention.

"Edward just said get your fuckin' hands off Bella. I'll give you two choices: take your hands off of her or get a hole in your head so big that only a wheelchair will be able to control your movements for the rest of your very short and miserable fucking life, Mike."

Mike's grip on the middle of my body tightened momentarily cutting off my ability to breath. I started gasping for air loudly.

"What's so important about this fucking slut that you've gotta bring it to this…huh, Edward?"

Emmett cocked the gun.

Mike looked between him and Edward a few times and then down at me.

"This isn't over, I still want my turn, bitch."

He threw me to the ground with his comment rolling off his tongue. Mike stormed off through the crowd while everyone else started to find something more interesting than the three of us somewhere else in the club.

_How could you be so stupid? You shouldn't have come here. You do not belong here, Bella._

Emmett un-cocked his gun and put it back in his back waistband. He looked down at me and then over at Edward.

I was still trying to catch my breath as I heard Emmett speak.

"It's time to take her home." Emmett commanded more than suggested the direction to Edward.

Edward nodded, and knelt down in front of me on the dance floor.

His face was tight and he looked stressed out, almost panicked. When he spoke his voice was low and rough- like he was forcing a whisper.

"Bella, we can talk in the car. Come back home with me, please."

I whispered 'okay' and felt his arms wrap around me. I wrapped my arms around his waist much like I had when we were in the elevator on the way back from the police station.

We walked out of the club with Emmett on our heels. There was a car waiting for us on the street with the driver standing by the door holding it open.

"Good evening Mr. Cullen, Mr. McCarty, ma'am."

The guys said hello to the driver and climbed into the car.

Edward held on to me the entire time but said nothing. I didn't feel like talking either- I was quickly falling asleep as I snuggled next to him in the warm leather seats.

"Bella, wake up sweetheart, we're home." I felt Edward's warm hand caress my cheek. I followed him out of the car sleepily and returned to my spot by his side as we rode the elevator up to the apartment.

As we were walking into the apartment all of what I should have been angry about and nervous about and sad about came rushing back in my quickly approaching sleepy sobriety.

Edward closed the door behind us and I watched Emmett walk down the hall towards the real guest bedroom. I stopped in the foyer and turned to stare at Edward.

He was standing with a tense look on his face.

"Bella, what is it? What's wrong?"

All at once the fact that now I knew that Mike and Laurent didn't recognize me, that Edward didn't need to keep me "safe", that I didn't know why Edward had told me he wanted to be with me, that after hearing those sweet words from him I didn't know why I saw him with two women at his birthday, that I didn't know why Edward hadn't done anything to Mike for hurting me after he promised to not let anyone hurt me.

**A/N: this chapter was a little harder to write…been a lil distracted. Maybe this weekend I can get back on track. **


	26. Chapter 23: Will You Please?

**I don't own any Twilight characters or plots. **

"This is what you taught me.  
This is what you taught - and I learned well -  
to recognize that feeling easily can be dispelled.

Show your wounds I'm bored with mine.  
Nothing is new.  
Don't despair I rarely cry."

"Okay, I Feel Better Now." -AFI

"Edward, I think it's time for me to go."

As the words hung in the air part of me regretted thinking that way while the other part of me knew it was the right move to make.

I knew that, logically, Edward had no reason to keep me in his apartment anymore. He had no reason to protect me. And it was obvious that after tonight, I'd been an object of desire, not affection.

Edward's brow furrowed and he started at the ground in front of me.

I knew I didn't have really anything to pack. And I didn't know where I was going to go. I knew, though, that this was the only way my brain was going to let me communicate to Edward that I wasn't happy at that moment.

I had no claim on him- so I couldn't pout about the girls. He didn't remember telling me those things last night so I couldn't fault him for that.

He sighed heavily but didn't lift his gaze from the floor.

"I should thank you for your help- for keeping me safe from Mike and Laurent, for having Jasper take care of my hands and my feet, and, really, well…for every-"

"Bella, stop!" Edward was now staring at me fiercely. "Fuck. Just stop. Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you stay here. I'm sorry for saying you were basically bait tonight. I'm sorry for you seeing me with those girls- they meant nothing, by the way. I'm fucking sorry."

"Edward, don't do…"

"No Bella." He had raised his voice and it was starting to make me nervous. "Look, I'm sorry for being such an asshole- fuck I'm sorry. But I'm not mother-fucking sorry for taking care of you."

Tears had started to well up in my eyes somewhat out of fear and somewhat out of heartbreak.

"You don't have to do this, Bella. You don't have to leave."

Before I could wipe them away, traitor tears started to run down my cheeks silently. Edward walked towards me and I stiffened until his hands were on my face. He ran his thumbs over my cheeks as he lifted my face towards his.

"Bella, please don't leave. I meant what I said last night."

My eyes must have gone huge because he smiled at me slightly and started to nod.

"You….you remember?"

He nodded smugly.

"Drunk flashbacks."

"But why didn't you say anything? I thought you didn't remember and that's why you were ignoring me and playing with those girls at the club tonight." I tried to stop myself before I said more than I should…that apparently didn't work.

He smiled again and shook his head slowly.

"Bella, they meant nothing to me. I figured if I ignored them they'd fuck off but it took Carlisle telling them to go away for it to work. There's only one girl I want to be with. If she'll have me."

I knew from movies that now was the perfect time to stand up on my toes to kiss him and say I'd have him for all times. But while that tidbit of knowledge was rolling through my head, I was overwhelmed with fear.

The tears came rushing back and I was taken over by a lack of explanation for them other than that I was really scared of what being with Edward really meant.

"Bella, will you stay with me? On your own accord, please stay with me, please let me be with you."

He wiped my tears again and waited patiently for me to answer him.

I had never really lived with someone before. Sure, I'd had boyfriends, but Edward seemed like so much more.

"Edward, I've never done this before. I've never lived with someone. What if you get tired of me? What if I do something to make you angry? I don't think I could take you being angry with me. I mean when I lived in Char-"

Edward put a finger over my lips to shush me.

"Bella, you've been sleeping in my bed for months. You've been here long enough to know what it's going to be like living with me. Well, maybe, this time we can share the bed. If you're comfortable with that. I don't want to push you."

Edward was still rubbing his thumb against my lips as I smiled a little at his comments. I was nervous. But I trusted him. And I wanted to be near him as much as possible.

I nodded and kissed his thumb softly. I looked up at him to see him staring at my lips.

Edward slowly moved his thumb away from my lips and held my chin softly. He leaned in and gently pushed his lips against mine.

Sparks flew through my skin from the tips of my lips through my spinal cord down to my fingers and toes.

Edward reached down and held my hands softly as he gently parted his lips on mine.

My steamrolling butterflies were jumping for joy in my stomach so much that I started to twitch from the torso down.

Edward kissed me softly a few more times before pulling back and looking me in the eyes.

"I'm serious, Bella, I don't want to push you to do anything you don't want to do. But will you sleep by my side tonight?"

I nodded and let him lead me into the bedroom.

A/N: we're not through this story yet…there's some more drama coming up. See you soon.


	27. Chapter 24: Lunch Dates

**A/N: I don't own anything…. **

EPOV

Last night was by far the biggest emotional fucking roller coaster I've ever ridden on. Between Bella being all hush-hush about me admitting to her that I cared for her to her meeting and having to put up with Mike's bullshit to breaking down and offering to leave…I was pretty sure I'd have whiplash from the shit.

But that was last night. And while Emmett hadn't woke me up to go take care of Mike and his ridiculously disrespectful behavior, I didn't mind.

This had to be the best morning I've ever had. I shifted a little just to make sure Bella was still tucked in beside me. I could feel her breathing against my side and smiled at how perfect she felt next to me.

Bella didn't know it but this was the first time I'd woken up next to a girl in, well, probably forever. It was another reason why I'd been hesitant to bring her in with me as my date to the party last night. Don't get me wrong, Bella meant a whole hell of a lot to me. But that's not quite how it works with the guys I run with. It's not like I could send them a fucking hallmark card telling 'em I was off the market and to stop sending whores my way.

Besides, after Emmett pulling a gun on Mike last night and me pulling Bella out of the bar, I think they got to message.

I took a deep breath and felt Bella tighten her grip around my arm she'd been using as a pillow.

When she'd finally agreed to stay with me last night I felt mother fucking invincible. I knew she was nervous and I didn't want to make her uncomfortable in anyway.

So I led her in the bedroom and left her to get changed while I changed in the bathroom. I'd put on my usual pajama pants and no shirt, though. 'Cause the way I saw it- she'd agreed to be with me…all of me.

When I'd walked back into the bedroom she was already fast asleep in a tank top and short grey shorts.

She was fucking beautiful just sleeping there. I didn't want to disturb her but I was very done with watching her sleep from across the room.

I climbed into the bed next to her and pulled her to me. She didn't wake up, really, but she wrapped her arms around me like she had in the elevator. It felt so fucking good to have her near me. And I knew we had a long way to go to make sure she knew just how much I cared for her…hell, just how much Emmett and Jasper and Alice and Rose cared for her too.

I'd heard her say shit to herself more than anyone else over the last few months that confirmed the fact that she still didn't believe in herself- or really feel like a regular girl. I blamed that motherfucker Charlie for it all, too.

Him and Mike. Something needed to be done about both of those fuckers.

*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*

I'd drifted back off to sleep again after listening to Bella's breathing. I was so fucking happy to be near her- sleeping or awake.

My cell started buzzing on the nightstand by the bed waking me up. I didn't want to answer it, but I knew I needed to.

I reached behind me slowly trying to keep from waking Bella. She shifted but didn't wake up.

It was Carlisle.

"Yeah, what's up boss?"

"Edward, meet me for lunch." He didn't sound pissed off or overly happy so I took it for what it was worth- a business meeting.

"Sure thing, boss. See you at 11."

He hung up and so did I. Bella sighed heavily and started to stretch.

I leaned in and kissed her forehead. I knew I couldn't stay away from her…I just wasn't sure if she knew that or not.

"Good morning Edward." She whispered sweetly to me. Fuck I wanted to stay in bed with her all damn day but I knew I couldn't.

"Good morning Bella. Did you sleep okay?" she nodded and 'mhmmed' sweetly.

I started to play with her hair as she woke up more and sat up beside me. Her chest was eye level with me now and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and start kissing and kneading her beautiful chest.

"Edward? Is everything okay?"

Bella was looking down at me. I'd closed my eyes and groaned at the thought of touching her like that. It was too soon for me to make a move like that, but fuck I wanted to.

"Yeah, baby, everything's good. Listen, I need to go to a meeting today so I won't be around for most of the afternoon. I'm gonna leave you with my credit card again- go shopping if you want or hang out here. Just take someone with you, please?"

She nodded and looked a little down. I couldn't tell if it was because I wasn't going to be there or if it was because I'd pushed my money her way again. I knew that last time I'd left her with the card she'd not spent a dime on it. I didn't want her to think I was pulling a Pretty Woman move or any shit like that. I just wanted her to be able to get herself nice things.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. Do you want me to make you breakfast before I do? Or after?"

I rubbed my face and thought about it. I didn't want her waiting on me hand and foot around the house but I knew that it was just a nice gesture she was offering.

"How about we make breakfast together when you get out of the shower?"

Bella smiled really wide and nodded enthusiastically. I kissed her nose and smiled.

"Good. I'll see you in the kitchen when you get out." Bella climbed out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. You have no mother fucking idea how bad I wanted to follow behind her. Or be her towel. Or hell, even her soap in that moment. I wanted to be near her with as few clothes at possible between the two of us.

As soon as I heard the water turn on I started to indulge in the rest of my body's desire for her to be near too. My dick wouldn't give me a fucking rest when I was near her and now I could at least give in and rub one out.

I'd just about started to handling business when there was a knock at my bedroom door. "Fuck"

So much for getting my morning jollies off before I saw Bella fresh from the shower.

Emmett popped his head in the door and smiled. He knew he'd fuckin' interrupted.

"Dude, quit touching yourself and get the fuck up…I'm hungry!!!!!"

I threw a pillow at him but he, of course, dodged it.

"Fuck off, we're gonna start cooking in a minute." Emmett smiled a huge fucking smile and looked at the bathroom door. It was closed, thank god.

"You slept with her, didn't you?!?" He was giggling like a fucking school girl.

"I slept next to her, we didn't fuck. What does it matter to you, asshat?"

He smiled again. "Just making sure me almost committing murder last night helped you out."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Not at the fact that he had almost committed murder last night when Mike wouldn't get his hands off Bella, but that he was wondering if that in turn got me laid. I wasn't sure how to figure out the logic in it, but it made me chuckle.

I heard the water turn off in the bathroom so I stood up and sort-of made the bed. Emmett laughed at me again.

I followed him out to the kitchen and started pulling out the food we were gonna have for breakfast.

"Hi Emmett, hi Edward." Bella was standing at the edge of the kitchen wearing a pair of low cut jeans and a stripped tank top. Her hair was wet and pulled back into a twisty thing on her head.

"Hey Bella, you okay after last night?" Emmett waved at her and smiled. She blushed and nodded.

"I'm okay. Thank you for helping me get away from Mike." Emmett nodded and turned his attention to the steaks I pulled out of the fridge.

"Can I help?" Bella was now looking at me. I smiled and waved her towards me to help in the kitchen. She started cooking eggs and toast while I grilled the steaks.

The three of us sat down and started to eat. Well, really we watched Emmett inhale his food while we ate quietly.

"What you ghuys whanna dhoo thooday?" Emmett asked us with a mouth full of eggs and steak.

Bella giggled and I just rolled my eyes. He was ridiculous.

"I've got a meeting I'm going to. I left Bella the card though I dunno what she's gonna do with it."

Emmett smiled really widely. "Bella, wanna hang out today? I have a really good idea of what we can do!!!"

All they trouble they could get into rushed to mind at once.

"Emmett, what did you have in mind?" Bella asked.

"PUTT-PUTT!!!!"

Bella laughed and looked at me. Then she looked back at Emmett.

"I was thinking about going to the library. Can we go there after putt-putt?"

Emmett thought about it for a minute and nodded excitedly.

After breakfast Emmett and Bella cleaned up as I went to take a shower. I came out dressed in a suit and tie to see Emmett and Bella reading on the couch. Bella looked up at me first and smiled.

She walked over to where I was standing gathering my keys and wallet.

"You look really handsome." I smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly.

"Thank you. Have fun today, okay? I'll be back as soon as possible."

She nodded and smiled. I looked over at Emmett to find he was reading a fucking comic book.

We said our goodbyes and I headed over to see Carlisle.


	28. Chapter 25: We'll See About That Shit

I don't own anything…see the authors note at the end.

EPOV:

I could see Carlisle talking with some girl that obviously wasn't a waitress when I walked into the restaurant. He looked like he was enjoying himself and her until he noticed me. He looked at me and the smile wiped from his face. The expression he had on his face was a strange one, though. He looked at me, raised his eyebrows in the middle and looked around me as if someone should be following me. Then he smiled a tiny smile.

"Ah, Edward, so good to see you." I nodded and shook his hand. The girl he had been, um, talking with got up to leave without saying anything. I knew she'd be waiting in the back of the kitchen for him.

"It's good to see you too, boss. How's the family?" He knew I was joking only slightly with my question. He nodded and started to pour me a glass of bourbon as I sat down at the table.

"I'm surprised your girlfriend, Bella, isn't with you today." He didn't look at me as he poured and I wasn't quite sure how to take his comment seeing as how bringing friends—female or not—was not our usual approach to "having lunch".

The look on my face must have said it all.

"I figured she would have begged to come along with you, see how business is run. She didn't mention wanting to tag along?"

I was still confused at his cryptic approach to asking me about her. I shook my head 'no' and took a sip of the booze.

"No, she didn't ask to come with me today." It wouldn't have been right for me to ask why he gave a shit. So I left it at that.

"Has she been asking about your job, what you do for me?" Carlisle looked innocent enough asking, but I knew there was something behind his questions that wasn't pretty.

"She hasn't asked me much of anything about what I do, boss. I get the impression that she's not that concerned with my job."

"Does she know what you do?!?" He looked alarmed.

"What? Fuck no she doesn't know what I do, Carlisle. It's not like we've talked about my job over coffee, you think I'm that fucking stupid?"

He lifted his hands up in defense. "I'm just surprised she's not been snooping around. Has she been snooping around?"

I shook my head 'no' again. "Carlisle, she's just a girl I'm interested in. why all the questions?"

He sighed heavily. "I'm concerned that she's with you for ulterior motives, Edward."

I looked at him a little dumbfounded. I knew why she was with me. That didn't mean I could explain it to him. It's not like I could say… 'Hey Carlisle, she's not with me to be nosey…she's a fucking witness.'

I rubbed my eyes with my hand and sighed heavily, still pretty fucking confused as to why he was asking about Bella the way he was.

"Edward, do you know who her dad is? What he does for a living?" I nodded.

"He's a cop. I found out when we were arrested. That fucking detective- Black- he mentioned it. So what."

Carlisle slammed his hand down on the table. "God damn it Edward! What the fuck is wrong with you. Of all the whores to fuck with you had to pick a cops kid?!"

I waited while he vented. It took a good ten minutes for him to stop his ranting and raving about how fucking stupid I was for dating her considering her family ties.

"What the fuck do you want me to do about it Carlisle?" I made sure to ask him and call him by his given name because this wasn't about him being my boss. He needed to know what I wasn't going to take a fucking order from him about who I was sleeping with. And for the record, I wasn't just planning on sleeping with Bella. I was pretty fucking sure I had more feelings for her than just an interest in getting into her pants.

I didn't feel like waiting to hear what he had to say bout her or her dad or what the fuck he wanted me to do about my relationship with her.

"Her dad isn't in the picture, Carlisle."

"What the fuck are you talking about? And how the fuck do you know?" I smirked. I knew he wouldn't understand why I was smiling and chuckling when I should be serious, but it was fucking funny…and pretty damn sad at the same time.

"She talks in her sleep, Carlisle." He smiled slightly.

"Go on."

"That's about as funny as it gets. I know she's not a plant or a spy because she's not been around her dad in a long fucking time. He used to beat the fuck out of her…even kicked her out of the house. She's been going on about it in her sleep for the last couple of weeks."

He shook his head. "Edward…I'm concerned that's not enough to get her off the hook. You know we don't date law enforcement. What does she do for a living? I want Dimitri to get a P.I. on her."

I groaned. "That's not necessary, Carlisle."

"Why's that, Edward?"

I shrugged. To him I knew it would seem like I had all the answers. And I was somewhat worried that he'd clue in to what the fuck I really knew about Bella.

"Look Carlisle, I'm not trying to defend her or any shit like that. She's not working right now, though. I've asked her to live with me for the time being 'cause she just moved into the city. She hasn't done anything shady or suspicious and I don't think she's a damn plant. The only thing a private investigator would tell you is that she doesn't shop much, she reads more than a fuckin' librarian and that she showers twice a day. Now I don't like you fuckin' blowing up about a girl I'm with. You taught me well enough to know better. So why the fuck are you all worked up about this shit?"

I figured the tone I was taking with Carlisle would be good enough to end this shit. He nodded and looked only slightly remorseful for inquiring about Bella.

"Look, Victoria mentioned it after she booked Bella and looked up who she was related to at the station. She saw her at the party and brought it up after Mike and you and Emmet had it out on the dance floor. I'm concerned that she's got reasons other than sexual interest to be with you."

I scoffed at him.

"That's absurd, Carlisle. Victoria's a fuckin' jealous that I stopped giving it up for her. She'd suggest that Bella's a fucking Russian spy if she thought that would break us up. You know that, damnit."

Carlisle nodded like he understood and agreed to me.

"Well, we'll see about all of that in due time, won't we…."

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me a fucking week to update this story. A few nit picky-ass reviews and a ridiculous work load left me a little frustrated in the writing department. Not to mention I started taking this new terrific sleep aid…Ambien…maybe you've heard of it…Anyway, I've been going to bed around 8pm every night. Considering I get off of work at 6ish…you do the math. I've got no fucking time to indulge in my favorite hobby. **

**Anyway, I'll update soonish. Leave a review and let me know what you think. If you're going to bitch about the length, though, leave it be. I'm not making the chapters any longer than they've been. The longest chapter's been 2000 some words. And we're not going past that. **

**Sweet Dreams. **

**P.S. Sorry if I seem really bitter right now. I'm working on getting chipper. **


	29. Chapter 26: We Were Walking The Dog

**A/N: A HUGE thanks to everyone that sent me reviews and PM's and support for previous bitch reviews. You all are fuckin' rad. I should be updating sooner than later for the next few chapters, but no promises. I hope you enjoy this chapter…**

EPOV

When I got back to the apartment, it was empty. Bella and Emmett were still out at the library. Emmett had texted me to tell me she had her face stuck in some book about wolves or dogs or some shit. I unloaded the sandwiches I brought from the restaurant and started to feed Dallas. There was a message on the answering machine next to her bowl that caught my attention. I started to play it as I looked for her food under the kitchen sink. When I heard the first few words, I snapped up and hit my head on the door way of the cabinet.

"Bella…this is your father, Charlie…"

Mother fucking son of a bitch.

I dropped the dog food. Dallas didn't wait for me to tell her she could eat. She must have been pretty damn hungry. The message didn't stop playing.

"Bella, why the fuck am I getting calls from a police department in the city? If I have to come down there because I get another call about bail money I swear to god I'm going to arrest you myself for being a fucking dead beat!!!"

Charlie was screaming into the answering machine. Even Dallas looked up at the answering machine to see what the hell all the fucking fuss was about.

I checked the caller id and saw that the number was private. There was only one person that'd be calling him for any fucking reason and it was the same bitch that knew about the arrest…Victoria.

Right after the message stopped playing Emmett and Bella walked through the door. They were laughing and smiling about something that Emmett probably said that was inappropriate.

"Hey fucker. How was lunch?" Emmett was still laughing and Bella was blushing. When they saw the look on my face they both stopped smiling.

"Hey Bella, uh, you mind looking for Dallas' leash? I think I saw it in the office last." Bella nodded and started to walk towards the office past our bedroom. Emmett looked at me and knew something was up. He leaned it and tried to ask me what the fuck was up but Bella walked back into the living room.

"I found the leash, would you like me to walk her, Edward?"

In my haze of frustration I was an asshole for not noticing how fucking beautiful she was. Hell, I hadn't even said hello to her really after she walked in the door. I held my arm out to her reaching for her to come closer to me.

Bella walked up to me and leaned in for a hug. I kissed her on the nose lightly and couldn't help but fucking smile.

"Hey Beautiful, how was your day?"

Bella blushed and giggled a little bit. "It was fun, how was yours?" I would have answered her but I didn't want to lie to her.

The smile fell from my face. "It was work."

Bella shrugged and hugged me. She knew what I did for a living…and I got the impression that she didn't want to know more than she needed to. One more reason she was so fucking smart.

Emmett was still looking at me with concern. Considering his normal disposition was one where he had the goofy fucking look on his face, it was blatantly obvious that something was wrong. I needed to get him out of Bella's sight before she figured out something was really fucking wrong.

"Bella," fuck she smelled good, "Emmett and I are gonna' walk Dallas. I got some sandwiches today, would you mind heating them up for dinner?"

She nodded and smiled. "Sure, are they in the fridge?"

"Yeah, there's four of 'em. One for you, one for me and two for fat ass over there. We'll be back in twenty minutes."

"Okay. I'll see you guys when you get back." Bella smiled and started towards the kitchen.

"Bella, do me a favor, don't answer the phone while we're out if it rings. Let it go to voice mail, okay?"

She nodded and went back to heating up the food.

Emmett followed me outside with Dallas. He seemed frustrated 'till we got into the elevator.

"DUDE!!! WHAT THE FUCK? Why are you acting the way you're acting? What the fuck is wrong? What happened with Carlisle?"

Dallas was looking at us both like we were retarded.

"Charlie called today dude. Victoria called him and gave him my fucking number. Not only that, but she fuckin told Carlisle that Bella's dad is a damn cop"

Emmett sighed. "So if Carlisle doesn't kill her, Charlie's gonna, is that what you're saying?"

"We've got to do something. Wait, what the fuck are we gonna' do?"

At that very moment I knew what we were going to do about Charlie, but I didn't know what to do about Carlisle. And while I loved Emmett like a brother there was no damn way I was going to look like I didn't know what the fuck I was doing in that moment.

"Lemmie think about it Emmett." He nodded and we walked Dallas down the street to the park so she could take care of her business.

When you think about it, we both knew what needed to be done. But to start out planning and talking about offing a bastard cop that could start some wicked shit storms.

We didn't have to think about how or what we were going to do for long. As we were walking up to the apartment building there was a guy with dark short hair pacing in front of the door to my apartment. He saw us walking slowly down the block with Dallas and started to walk towards us hurriedly.

"You Edward Cullen?!?" The guy was pissed off. He looked at me and then at Emmett. We looked at each other. And then I recognized the voice.

It was Charlie.

I nudged Emmett. In the past when someone had asked us who was who we'd always said we were each other to throw 'em off.

I nudged Emmett and he looked at me. Emmett looked back at the guy standing in front of us.

"Who wants to know?" Emmett asked him looking alarmed and concerned at the same time.

"I'm Chief Charlie Swan. Which one of you is Edward Cullen?" I swallowed hard and looked at Emmett who was swallowing hard and looking at me.

Emmett lifted his chin up as if he was really fucking proud and exclaimed "I'm Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you." he stuck his hand out to shake Charlie's hand shocking us both in the process.

BPOV

Emmett and I had a great time out on the town. He'd paid for everything even though Edward had given me his credit card to pay for things. We had played a round of miniature golf- I let Emmett win even though I was pretty sure he cheated. I knew a little bit about golf but I let him believe that it was how many attempts to hit the ball that racked up points, not who got a hole in one first each round that should have won.

He'd let me spend three hours in the library and a book store reading. He'd even left me to go read comics while I buried my nose in any and everything I could find that caught my interest. It had been so long since I'd been able to look at new books. He'd even encouraged me to buy the ones I was so engrossed in but I didn't want to waste Edward's money on stupid books.

When we'd gotten back to the house Edward had seemed really alarmed about something. He'd not even been really friendly to me when I walked through the door.

He'd asked me to find Dallas' collar and then to heat up the sandwiches he'd bought. I didn't mind making the food and helping with the dog. It made me feel like I was a real part of the group. I don't know why, but even though I was helping out I felt like there was something Edward was holding back.

I'd been waiting for three hours for Emmett and Edward and Dallas to come back when I finally decided to go to sleep. I changed into a long sleeved shirt and some shorts and climbed into bed. I tossed and turned for most of the night.

I was startled by the sound of the dog crawling in bed and Edward walking through the bedroom. When I finally came to I looked to see him standing by the dresser. He was covered in splotches of blood and was unloading a gun onto the dresser.

"Edward?! Are you okay?!"

His voice was rough and low as he spoke. "I'm fine Bella, go back to sleep, sweetheart."

I was sitting up in the bed looking at him as Dallas circled around to get comfortable by my feet.

"Edward, you're covered in blood, are you hurt? Do you need me to get a doctor? Where'd Emmett?"

Edward looked down at his shirt. His hands and arms were clean but his shirt and his jeans were soaked in dark red fluid.

He sighed heavily and looked down at the floor. "Bella, relax, it's not my blood, I'm not hurt."

Fear shot through me and I started to shake from it.

"Wh….who…who's blood is it, Edward? Is Emmett oka….okay?"

He nodded but still kept his eyes on the floor.

"Emmett's fine, Bella. It's not his blood either. It's Charlie's."

Edward finally looked at me in the eyes as I started to hyperventilate and everything went black.


	30. Chapter 27: Waking Tales

**I don't own any thing. I'm baking almond muffins and can't sleep though…trying not to rely so much on that beautiful Ambien. I hope you dig this chapter. **

BPOV

I remember correctly Edward telling me it wasn't his blood. I wasn't sure, however, if the next thing I'd heard was right. Charlie's blood? As in my dad?

My throat was dry and tight and I my heart was still beating hard against my chest. I was in bed still laying on my stomach. It was really dark in the room and I wasn't sure if anyone was in the room with me. Where was Edward? Where was Emmett? Where was Charlie?

"Ed….Edward?"

I felt a hand gently run through my hair and down my back. "Shhh, go back to sleep, Bella."

I pushed myself up on my hands and looked over at the Shusher. My eyes adjusted to the little light that was in the room from the windows. Edward was lying next to me on his side. He was wearing a new white tee shirt and a pair of pajama pants.

Sitting on my knees I looked down at Edward resting on his side looking up at me. He looked calm and sleepy.

"Edward, are you okay? There was all that blood and you said it was Ch…Charlie's. Is Emmett okay? What happened? Please, tell me you're alright!"

Edward sat up and sat cross-legged in front of me. He reached out and took my trembling hands.

"Bella, take a deep breath. I'll tell you everything, just please calm down." I nodded and swallowed hard.

I took a deep breath but it didn't calm me much. I started thinking about Charlie and Edward covered in blood. Tears started to well up in my eyes and before I knew it tears were running down my face. Edward leaned forward and pulled me into him.

I curled up in his lap but still couldn't completely calm myself. I was petrified that Charlie was coming after me since Edward had mentioned his name.

He started to run his arms up and down my shoulders and rocked me back and forth. I could feel his hot breath on the top of my head. Electricity ran through me and I started to relax more than I had been.

"Bella, shhh, listen, Emmett's not hurt. He's asleep in the guest bedroom. I'm not hurt. Neither of us are hurt. But we need to talk. I think I need to tell you what happened."

I could feel Edward playing with my hair and sighing heavily. I tried to match his breathing with my own to calm myself down.

When he finally started to speak his voice was low and rough.

"Bella, when we were arrested the girl with the red hair at booking called your dad and told him a story about you owing bail money. While you and Emmett were out yesterday he called the house and left a message threatening you."

I inhaled sharply and Edward tightened his grip around me.

"Edward, he's going to come after me! I can't stay here, I need to go!"

I could feel Edward stiffen up as he held me and he wasn't letting his grip up either.

"Bella, shhhh, calm down, let me finish. No one's going to hurt you, baby. I already promised that. Just let me finish telling you what happened."

I nodded and continued to cry silently into his chest. Part of me was so afraid he was going to suggest that I try and work it out with Charlie while the other part of me was afraid he would tell me he'd killed him.

"Bella, before I tell you what happened, please calm down. He's not going to come after you and I'm not going to let anything fucking happen to you. You mean too much for me for anything to fucking happen to you."

There was a tense silence between the two of us.

EPOV

I didn't want to terrify her, but I knew I needed to tell her in no uncertain terms that Charlie was not going to be a problem anymore for her. She was terrified and I needed to put that to a stop. I needed to squash her fears.

Emmett had surprised me and Charlie both when he reached his hand out and introduced himself as me. I went along with it knowing that Emmett had some kind of plan. Emmett had offered to buy Charlie a drink, which we both figured he'd accept from the look and smell of him, and he accepted.

When we got to the bar Emmett slipped Charlie a little something to really fuck him up. We kept it at one beer a piece but watched Charlie fall all over himself.

When we got him back to the car instead of just driving him to an alley and beating the fuck out of him, Emmett started driving out of town. That was the part of the story I couldn't really tell Bella. I couldn't have her know the details of what had happened and where Charlie was now. But she needed to know for sure that he wasn't going to fuckin' come after her ever again.

"Bella, Emmett and I did the same thing you heard me do the night I found you in the dumpster. I can't give you details, but Charlie is not going to come back to hurt you. Ever."

She shuddered and took a deep breath. I hoped and fucking prayed in that moment that she wasn't going to freak out and leave since he wasn't a threat anymore. I'd come to like having her near me. Even more so- I was over the mother fucking moon that she was in my arms now even though the circumstances sucked.

I could feel her tears on my arms as she continued to weep silently. The lack of her talking or asking questions was driving me nuts.

"Bella, please talk to me."

She looked up at me with her big beautiful brown eyes. She had the same look on her face as the night she passed out in the dumpster and the same look as she came to when we'd discovered the glass in her hands accidentally.

"I don't know what to say. It doesn't feel right to be happy that he's never coming back but I can't help to want to thank you too."

I kissed the top of her head and then her forehead. I knew she'd be conflicted when she saw the blood on my clothes. I didn't think she'd be the kind of girl that would rejoice over someone being dead but from the stories she'd told us about Charlie, I'd hope this helped put some of her fears to rest.

"I told you I'd keep you safe. I keep my promises, sweetheart. You must be really tired. I know I am. Let's get some sleep."

**A/N: I promise some lemons are coming up and maybe an appearance from Carlisle and Esme on the way. There's more drama too…I just haven't written it yet. ; )**


	31. Chapter 28: Snuggling With Heaven

**Sorry it's been so long. I still don't own anything. But I hope you enjoy the chapter. **

BPOV

Whatever I was dreaming about left me in the best of moods. I was warm and snuggly and every time I turned over and I couldn't help but feel ridiculously comfortable. Whatever brand of sheets these were I hoped that one day I could own a set of my own.

As I stretched I could feel the heavy blankets bunch up around my hips and under my neck. I was in pure heaven.

And that's when it hit me. They weren't heavy blankets, they were Edward's arms. My face flushed and I took a deep breath smelling him all around me. I was elated to feel him so close to me. I could only hope he was awake enough to know what he was doing to me by having his arms wrapped around me.

I felt him snuggle closer to me and it made my heart beat faster. I felt him kiss the top of my head and wrap his arms around me tighter.

"Mhmmmm, I really like waking up with you in my arms, Bella." Edward's face was still buried in my hair as he spoke deeply. "Did you sleep okay?"

I nodded and wrapped my hands around his forearm. It was wound tightly around my collar bone.

"I slept really well, did you?"

I could feel him nod into my hair and it made me smile. As I yawned and stretched my back arched pushing my butt into Edward more than I had planned.

His arm resting on my hip moved quickly to where his hand was resting on my pelvic bone holding me tightly to him.

"Bella, shit, sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." I could feel his very hard erection pushing into my tail bone again making me blush.

I giggled. I wasn't uncomfortable. I was quite the opposite.

Instead of lying about how I felt, though, I rolled over onto my other side so I was facing him. I put my hands on his warm, soft skin and ran them up and down his chest.

"You don't make me uncomfortable, Edward." I almost whispered to him as I tried to squash the urge to kiss his beautiful chest.

I felt Edward move his hands from my hips lower to my back side and pull be tighter into him effectively wedging his hard on between himself and my abdomen.

"Bella," Edward groaned as he ran his hands up and down my back, "look at me."

In a second's flash nervousness washed over me as I slowly moved my head up to look at him. I was uncomfortable and worried that he was going to tell me he'd changed his mind and he wasn't interested in me intimately.

"Baby, look at me" Edward whispered fiercely.

I looked up at him only to see his eyes pleading with me.

"Can I kiss you?" Edward whispered his question. I was still frightened that even after I agreed to him kissing me he would decide he didn't want me.

I nodded slowly.

Edward leaned in and brushed his lips across mine. Sparks danced in my lips and heat spread through my face.

He paused as if he was checking to see if I was still okay with him kissing me.

I waited, frozen, for him to kiss me more.

He didn't disappoint.

He took a deep breath and I could hear him swallow before he leaned in and kissed me again taking my bottom lip into his mouth. I could feel his teeth grazing against my bottom lip making my heart race.

I stretched my head up to kiss him back. I could feel his hands tighten around me and push into the small of my back.

I reached up into his hair and wrapped my fingers around the soft wisps of hair at his neck.

Edward rolled onto his back pulling me with him. My legs straddled him rubbing his hard on into my already warm, wet center at my thighs.

He continued to kiss and touch me as I touched and kissed him back.

I could feel myself getting out of control and getting really excited. Edward was running his hands through my hair and over my back as he kissed my lips. He trailed kissed from my lips down my neck to my collar bone. Every kiss he left on my skin left a burning that vibrated chills through my body.

I pushed myself up from his chest to take off my shirt. I wanted to give him everything I had to offer. If he wasn't going to turn me away right then, I might as well try to give him my all before he changed his mind.

"Damn Bella, you're beautiful."

Edward reached up my torso and firmed his grip just under my breasts. He pulled me back down towards him and continued kissing me on the neck.

His hands traveled back down my sides pushing my shorts along with them. I was only wearing a pair of dark blue boy-shorts underneath them.

"Bella," Edward kissed me in between each word, "I…want…to…feel…you…all…of….you."

I shuddered and giggled. Having Edward touch me and say those things to me made me feel incredible inside. There was something holding me back, though, that I couldn't quite overcome. I wanted to give myself over to Edward but I was afraid that he wouldn't want to be with a homeless piece of trash like me.

"Bella, you're so fucking beautiful."

He continued to kiss me as I kissed him back. I wanted to be with him as he wanted to be with me. And in that moment, as his arms wrapped around me and I squeezed my legs around him I decided that no matter what I was his.

"Edward, I want to be with you, all of you too."

Edward's hand reached down my legs and took two handfuls of my upper thighs right at the crease of my legs and my ass cheeks. He groaned as he pulled me into him more and ground me against his erection.

The door flew open and Edward grabbed me tightly as he sat up.

"Edward, Bella it's time to go to Esme's get the fuck….OH FUCK! Sorry Bella! Sorry Edward! SHIT!"

**A/N: Till next chapter. Tee-hee. **


	32. Chapter 29: Suds N' Kisses

**I don't own anything. I hope you liked my last chapter though. I did that shit on purpose. As addicted to stories as you may be...consider me addicted to writing cliffies. **

EPOV

If Bella hadn't been in my hands right when Emmett blew through my door I would have thrown everything I _could _get my hands on at that mother fucker's head.

He. Ruined. Everything.

Bella pushed herself into me to cover up her exposed, beautiful, breasts. I could feel her skin heat up with a heavy flush as Emmett tripped over his words of apology.

Emmett quickly backed out of the room and closed the door.

"Fuck Edward! I'm sorry! Bella…I, uh, didn't see much! Shit!!" Emmett was yelling through the door. He finally stopped after his last line. I knew he'd seen her almost completely naked but he handled it better than I'd imagined he would.

Bella was still wrapped tightly around my neck and waist with her arms and legs. And while I was happy she was almost completely naked and wrapped tightly around me _and _pressing herself into my still rock-fucking-hard, now was not the time to push being intimate with her.

Fuck.

"Bella, it's okay, baby. He's gone. Are you alright?"

I could feel her nod into my neck but she didn't loosen her grip.

"Bella? Honey, you sure you're okay?"

I sighed heavily. I was worried she wasn't as "okay" as she said she was.

I scooted to the end of the bed and ran my hands up and down her back.

"C'mon, let's go take a shower. That'll relax us after Emmett's…uh, interruption."

Bella moved to stand in front of me. Her head was still down and her arms were loose on my shoulders.

"I…uh…understand if…uh…you…don't…want…to…do….uh…this…I'll be out of the shower in a few minutes."

Bella sounded sad and quiet as she spoke and it almost broke my fuckin' heart to hear her give up on what could have been the best fucking morning of my life. That is, if I wasn't pissed that she thought I wouldn't be interested in her after Emmett's damn interruption.

"Bella, look at me," I pulled her chin gently up so she could see me and that I was totally serious, "I want to be with you no matter what. You got me?" she nodded. I was so fucking glad she wasn't crying.

"Will you come with me to shower then?" she sounded so nervous and hesitant. I couldn't help but give her a wicked smile. I was really falling for this girl.

I stood up and pulled her back into me. She felt so fucking good. I took a deep breath and couldn't help but sniff her more.

Bella ran her hands down my chest to my hands and turned towards our bathroom. I happily fucking followed.

She turned on the shower and turned towards me. I looked at her up and down to admire her beautiful body. She was still wearing her panties but the rest of her…good God.

I figured at the rate we were going I a-needed to lock the bathroom door and b-needed to get naked before she did.

I held my hand up to signal for her to wait just a minute. I quickly turned around and walked to lock the bathroom door. When I turned back around she was already in the shower covered up by the steamed glass.

Bella was giggling and I could tell she was happier than she had been.

I took of my pajama pants and stepped towards the shower. There was nothing….NOTHING that would prevent me from getting in that shower with Bella.

I stepped into the shower to find a vision washing her hair. I wanted nothing more than to help her wash every spot on her.

"Can I help?" I didn't really wait for her to answer before I started to soap her back down.

Bella started to moan and sway her hips as my hands traveled all over her soapy back.

"Edward, that feels really…amazing." I 'mhmmed' because I really couldn't form words in that moment as I watched soap run down her back, between her tight, pert ass cheeks and down her legs.

I turned Bella around to see her pale skin glistening in the shower spray. I leaned in to kiss her and, thankfully, she kissed back. We made out long enough that we both ran out of oxygen and had to take a breather.

I knew in that moment that I wanted to take her up against the tiles and fuck the shit out of her. Something, though, was nagging at me that I didn't quite understand until I lifted her legs and tried to wrap them around me.

Bella stiffened up and looked way too nervous to be interested in "having all of me" like she'd moaned earlier.

"Bella? What's wrong?" she looked nervous and I couldn't help but feel like a fucking asshole for pushing her too hard to fast into what we were doing.

"Uh, we can't do it here." Bella practically stuttered her answer.

"You're right, Bella, I'm sorry for pushing you. I shouldn't have pushed so quickly."

She shook her head pushed her legs back down onto the shower floor.

"No, you don't understand, Edward, we don't have a condom. I'm not on any birth control." I swallowed hard. She was right. And I still felt like a fucking asshole.

"Bella, I'm sorry. Look, we'll finish up here and get dressed. We're late, after all."

She smiled weakly and nodded. Bella rinsed off and kissed me on the chin before she stepped out of the shower.

I rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. Bella was drying herself off as I grabbed a towel.

"Edward, who's Esme? Emmett said we're late to go see her."

**A/N: I'm done for the night but Esme's house visit is up next. I'm sorry there was no official screwing yet. Well, at least between Edward and Bella. According to many of you, I screwed a bunch of eager readers out of a lemon. **

**Ha. Ha. **

**; )**


	33. Chapter 30: Look Who's Joining Us

**Sorry to everyone waiting with baited breath for a lemon, I needed to push through this chapter before I got back to the good stuff. Put up with my crap for a little longer and it will be very worth it. Thank you for all the reviews. Think we can hit 1000? **

**I don't own anything…but I hope you enjoy it!**

BPOV

"_Edward, who's Esme? Emmett said we're late to go see her."_

Edward swallowed hard and looked at me like he was afraid to break some news to me. I thought back to everyone I'd heard Edward speak about with his friends and had never heard of Esme.

He toweled his hair and sighed. I knew he was nervous to tell me who the person was. I was a little nervous to hear his answer.

"Esme's my mother. We've been invited to her house for dinner. Actually, I used to go a few times a month but I slacked off when I found you."

Pain shot through my heart and I felt shame wash over me again as I had so many times around Edward. He'd been ignoring his duties as a son and probably a friend and probably an employee since I'd crashed into his life. _I'm still not sure why he keeps you around. _

I looked down and tried to focus on my unpainted toenails. I felt Edward's palm caress my chin and pull my face towards him.

"Bella, you didn't keep me from anyone, I chose to take care of you. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

He was too much like Alice with the mind reading.

I nodded and turned to get dressed. "I'm going to get dressed. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Edward grabbed my arm and paused when I turned to look at him with a questioning look.

"Can I come with you, I'm not ready to see you dressed just yet." He smiled a wide grin and I nodded. I liked seeing him happy.

When we were dressed we found Emmett sitting in the living room spinning his car keys around his middle finger.

He stood up when he saw us walk in the room together.

"It's about time you fuckers got up and dressed. I'm hungry!!"

We smiled shyly at him and then it donned on him he'd seen me naked. Emmett blushed and looked at my feet.

"By the way, I'm really sorry about barging in earlier. I didn't know you two were gonna be, um, yeah. Sooo I won't tell Rosie if you don't!"

I giggled but quickly stopped as I heard Edward growling towards Emmett.

"No one's saying shit but don't do it again "by accident", got it?" Emmett smiled widely at me and nodded.

"We taking my Hummer?? Please say we are….I can't wait to open her up on the highway!!!!"

Edward put his hand on the small of my back and started to walk me towards the door.

"It's still nice out, so we're taking my bike. You can drive your damn nosey self."

I looked up at him in shock when he said bike. I'd never ridden one. Edward noticed my trepidation and smiled warmly.

"Never ridden a bike? Don't worry, you'll have something to hold on to." my mind immediately went back to the thoughts of the shower we'd shared and us snuggling in bed and I felt my face heat up.

Emmett laughed at us as he pushed his way through the door.

"Suit yourself fuckers, but it's gonna rain." Emmett bellowed down the hall towards the elevators and Edward guided me out of his apartment before he locked the door. I hadn't noticed it before, but he was carrying a jacket that looked much like the one he was already wearing.

When we got to the elevator, Emmett was holding the door for us. I was really nervous about the bike ride but I felt like I could trust Edward not to crash and hurt us.

When we got to the parking garage level Emmett held the door again for us. Edward grabbed my hand and quickly walked towards a locked gate in the garage. "The bike's in here." I could have sworn he sounded like a little kid with the four words he said.

Emmett laughed.

"I'll see you two there. I'm gonna go pick up Rosie. Drive safe and call me if you need anything!"

I waved bye to Emmett as he climbed in a huge black Hummer. It was probably the shiniest and biggest car I'd ever seen. It was the size of a tank. And Emmett still looked huge in the driver's seat.

I followed Edward through the gate only to stop in front of four cars covered with huge cloths and his bike that he was in the process of uncovering.

"These are all yours?" I squeaked more than asked him the question. He smiled and nodded.

"This is where I keep the four I drive the most often. That big one over there is my favorite. I drive her most often." All I could do was nod as he pointed. I had no idea what the cars were under their covers. But they looked expensive. They had to be, right, for them to be covered?

"Here, put these on." Edward handed me the jacket he'd been carrying and a helmet that matched the bike's bright red paint job.

I pulled the jacket on and noticed its almost perfect fit. I looked at the helmet and went to pull it over my head when Edward stopped me.

"On second thought, here, climb on before you put the helmet on. I don't want you to hurt yourself getting on the bike. And the helmet has a couple of blind spots.

"Uh, okay. Can you help me, though?"

Edward nodded and climbed onto the bike before he turned and put out his hand.

"Grab my arm and put your other hand on my shoulder. Then swing your leg over the bike. I'll hold on to yah."

I did as Edward instructed and felt wobbly when I finally got completely onto the bike. Edward looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Here, lemmie help you with where to put your feet." He leaned down and ran his hand over my thigh to my knee before he pulled it up and rested it on a little foot plate on the side of the bike. I clamped my hands down on his shoulders as I felt like I was going to fall over. He ran his hand down my other leg and I swear I heard him groan as he moved my other leg.

"Put your helmet on and wrap your arms around my waist so you don't fall off. If your hands get cold, tuck 'em under my jacket, okay?"

I nodded. But figured he couldn't see me nodding with my helmet on.

"Oh….okay. Are you sure that's okay?"

Edward laughed and grabbed one of my hands I had on side. He pulled my arm pulling me forward and tucked my hand up under his jacket and shirt. I could feel his warm, tight abs vibrate as he laughed at me being so rigid.

"Very sure, Bella. Now hold on, I like to go fast. If you need me to stop or anything at all, pinch me to get my attention."

Edward turned the bike on and I clamped my arms down around his waist. I could feel him laugh more.

He pulled out of the garage and into the street before I could really look around. I was terrified of falling off the bike so I rested my head against his back and held on for dear life.

We sped down the highway going faster than most of the cars on the road. The leaves were beautiful falling on the highway in yellows and reds that reminded me of the back yard I played in as a kid. I held on to Edward tighter as I thought about how much my life had changed since I'd been found by him.

He had saved me.

We must have driven a half an hour on the highway before Edward pulled off onto an exit and down a deserted looking road. We turned again and drove slowly down a gravel path.

When we finally stopped and Edward sat up my arms were sore and stiff. He rubbed them and loosed my grip up.

I looked around and saw a huge house built on a cliff that rivaled any house I'd ever seen growing up. It had to have been at least three stories tall with huge windows and a wrap around front porch.

Edward got off the bike first. I watched as he took off his helmet and hung it on the bike. He reached out both of his hands and lifted me off the bike like I was a little kid on a merry-go-round.

"You okay?"

I was still pretty speechless from the ride but I managed to find some words.

"Yeah. I'm okay. This place is beautiful. Where are we?"

Edward smiled and took my helmet as I shook out my ponytail.

"My Mah's house."

"Esme?"

Edward nodded. We heard gravel crunching behind us and the roar of Emmett's Hummer.

Emmett and Rose climbed out of the car and Emmett started shaking his fist at us.

"You fucker! You blew past us on the road…how fast were you going?"

It was then that I realized that we probably shouldn't have been going as fast as we were on the road on a bike.

"Fast enough, come on. Now I'm hungry."

Rose hugged me and walked ahead of us as Edward led me into the house.

"Mah! We're here!!"

Edward walked into the house with utter comfort as I started to get really nervous about meeting his mother.

I heard her call out from the top of the stairs and looked up to see one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.

I suddenly felt really self conscious about standing in her home with her son considering I had no prospects and couldn't really tell her who I was or where I was from.

"Edward! Emmett! Rose! Bella!"

Edward's mom came down the stairs and hugged each of them tightly until she came to me. I was stunned that she knew my name.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you finally, Bella. I've heard nothing but good things about you!"

Before I could say anything polite to her, she hugged me tightly and cooed about how cute I was.

"Mah, don't strangle her. You'll have plenty of time to hang out with her if I get my way."

Edward smiled at me as he spoke to his affectionate mother. She finally loosened her grip on me.

"Okay, okay. Well, it's nice to meet you, Bella. I'm so happy you'll be joining us for dinner."

"Thank you very much for having me." I meant every word.

"Dinner is almost ready so go get washed up kids, I'll set everything out." Esme sounded so sweet and helpful I couldn't help but feel guilty for eating at her house without having brought anything.

"Can I help you at all?" my voice was timid, but I meant every word of my offer.

Esme waved me away and told me to go wash up. Edward led me to a bathroom down the hall from the kitchen and washed his hands and waited for me to do the same.

As we were walking out Alice and Jasper were walking into the house and taking off their coats. Rose and I both walked quickly to hug Alice. I hadn't seen her in quite some time.

Jasper and Emmett and Edward all said hello and took their seats at the huge dinner table. Esme brought out a basket of rolls and welcomed us start digging in.

Emmett didn't hesitate.

"Bella, I hope you're not allergic to anything. I'm sorry I didn't think to ask before Edward mentioned you'd be joining us."

I looked at Edward and then back at Esme. He'd been talking about me? Edward looked guilty and Esme was still waiting on an answer from me.

"Uh, no, I'm not allergic to anything. And all of your cooking looks delicious, thank you again."

Esme smiled and started eating as the doorbell rang. She stood before anyone else could.

"I'll get that, please, keep eating. You all look like you could eat a good hot meal."

There was a lul in the conversation as we all sat around eating and refilling out plates. Her food was so good.

As I heard Esme walking back from the door there were more footsteps with her. And new voices.

"I hope you don't mind, we thought we'd stop by for one of the family meals. Elizabeth has missed your cooking."

The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. I looked up to see Edward staring towards the voices with an eyebrow arched up in what looked like anger.

"Look who came to join us! Carlisle, Elizabeth, have you met Bella?"

**A/N: I hope you dug the extra 1000 words. It's actually two chapters in one…**


	34. Chapter 31: BMWs and Bastards

**A/N: I don't own anything. I didn't mention what kind of bike Edward drives in the last chapter or post pictures. Sorry. If I could cut and past that shit on a web site I totally would. Big thanks to VoltActionRifle for suggesting the almost same bike I was thinking about when I wrote it into Edward's collection of hot vehicles. **

**Also…leave a review! They keep me pepped about writing. Thanks to everyone that's reviewed so far!**

EPOV

Damn Emmett for only thinking about himself after seeing Bella practically naked. He was more worried about Rose being pissed than he was about me being pissed or Bella being mortified.

He'd been pushing for us to ride with him but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have Bella ride with me on my new bike. I'd had it for about three weeks getting it road ready when I'd decided that she was going to be the first, and hopefully one of the last, girls to ride on it with me. I'd even bought her a jacket and helmet but hadn't mentioned it to her.

Bella followed me out of the apartment and down to the garage where my toys were parked. She had no idea how excited I was to have her on my new bike. It might not have been exactly street legal, but it was worth it either way.

I hated to say it, but the girl standing behind me stunned that I had four cars and a bike was almost assuredly more beautiful than all sets of wheels put together.

When I handed Bella the jacket and the helmet I noticed that she looked really nervous. I wanted to put her mind at ease and steal a few chance touches before we were on the road. I knew then I couldn't fuck around without putting us both in danger.

I helped her on to the bike and guided her beautiful jean-covered legs onto the foot rests. I would have preferred she wear more protective gear, but it had been a bit of a rush job to get her the jacket and kinda-sorta-but-not-really talk her into riding with me. it would have been more weird if I had handed her a body suit and told her to get dressed.

I couldn't help but chuckle as she tried to hold on to my shoulders, though. She was so skittish but pretty damn brave to be on a bike with a speed demon like me.

I told her to wrap her hands around my waist and to take liberties with them if they got cold. I'd need to get her some gloves before I took her out again on the bike.

You have no mother fucking idea how good she felt wrapped around me, wrapped around that bike. It was practically sex on wheels driving that thing and it only made it better with Bella attached to me.

It took us a little while to get to my Mah's house, but we made it before Emmett got his slow ass tank pushed down the road.

Bella seemed stunned as we parked the bike and I told her we were at my family's house.

I walked her in the house and yelled for my Mah to know we were there. Bella seemed nervous again around my family so I tried to comfort her.

I knew Esme would recognize Bella between all the gossip Alice had been spreading and what I had told her about my feelings for her.

She'd known as soon as she heard I had a girl staying at my house that it was something more serious than just looking out for a girl I'd met. My Mah knew me way better than that line I'd been giving everyone else. So I told her the truth- I cared about this girl more than she knew and I wanted to treat her right and keep her by my side for a long time to come.

As her usual friendly manner went Esme hugged the crap out of Bella leaving her a little stunned. I let it slip that I'd planned to keep her around for a long time when I told her that she'd have plenty of time to hang out with Bella if I got my way…which was keeping her around with me as my girl. Fuck that had a nice ring to it.

At dinner my Mah spilled the beans about me telling her my plans for bringing Bella to dinner. Bella gave me a look like I was totally busted, but she didn't seem pissed. I wanted to reach out and fucking kiss her so bad when she gave me that look, but I thought better of it.

When the doorbell rang I was totally lost in my thoughts about showering with Bella and taking her in the library upstairs.

My thoughts of bending her over the leather bound couch were quickly flushed out as I heard Carlisle's voice echoing down the hallway.

I was fucking pissed. How dare he?

I knew that at dinner at my mother's house of all places he was here as my uncle and the mob boss that he was, but I could only treat him as my uncle. That son-of-a-bitch. I was pissed because even though I couldn't talk to him like he was my boss, I knew he was thinking like my boss and not my uncle.

He was here to find out more about Bella for sure.

My mother couldn't have been more excited to see her brother and his wife walk in to the dining room.

She had no clue how dangerous he really could be now that I had Bella.

"Look who came to join us! Carlisle, Elizabeth, have you met Bella?"

Carlisle was smiling like he'd just swallowed a damn canary as Bella's eyes got huge. She knew who he was. He'd been in the alley that night that I'd found her.

Luckily, he'd not seen her and the guys hadn't recognized her after seeing her for a second time at the bar.

I reached under the table and grabbed Bella's clammy hand. I gently rubbed circles around her now healed palms to try and sooth her.

Elizabeth being the kind woman she is walked around to where Bella and I were sitting and dove in to hug her. Bella stood up to greet her as if she wasn't nervous at all. In that moment, I was so fucking proud of her.

"Bella, it's so nice to meet you! You really are a beautiful girl! We've heard so much about you!" Elizabeth sounded a little too excited to meet her but I knew it was her way of being nice to a girl sitting in my mother's house.

Carlisle was next to meet Bella. He was standing behind Elizabeth waiting for his turn to hug Bella. I knew he wanted to find out more about her. I just didn't know how he was going to ask her about what she knew and who she was related to and that left me very nervous.

"Bella, it's a pleasure to meet you again. You still look as beautiful as the night I met you at the club."

Fuck, they had met before. In my mild panic I'd forgotten about the club incident.

I could tell Bella was nervous but handling it. "It's nice to see you too again, sir. And to meet you Mrs. …."

"Please, call me Elizabeth." Bella nodded and repeated her name.

Esme grabbed two more settings and had them laid out by the time the awkward greeting was done. Carlisle was sitting down two seats from us across the table.

After they'd gotten some food the questions started that I'd been dreading. No one seem to notice the inquisition coming, though, as everyone was caught up in their own little discussions.

"So Bella, we didn't get a chance to talk at the club when I met you. Tell me, are you from around this area?"

Come to think of it, I'd wanted to know that very thing myself but not thought of the right time to ask. Maybe the questioning wouldn't be so bad.

Bella swallowed hard and nodded slightly.

"I grew up about three hours north of here in a small town. After the main plant shut down, though, the town pretty much shut down also."

Carlisle nodded. He was deep in evil conspiring thought. I knew the question was coming next, because if I were him, I'd be asking it too.

"What do your parents do? Did they work in the plant or did they do something else?"

Emmett finally noticed that Carlisle was asking questions that Bella wouldn't want to answer. Bella seemed to notice his attention peak and then my attention peak as we waited for her to answer. I wanted so damn badly to bail her out of the question but I knew it would look too fucking obvious.

Bella swallowed hard and answered like a champ.

"Uh, no, my father was the Chief of Police there. My mother didn't work." She was being honest with him, that's more than I could say for myself if I'd been in her place.

Carlisle seemed falsely impressed.

"The Chief of Police? That's impressive. Tell me, do you visit him often now that the town isn't doing so well?"

Bella shook her head 'no' and continued to navigate her way through the questioning. I was beginning to get a little more than pissed off that Carlisle wouldn't let up.

"Where do you live, Bella? In town?" Elizabeth cut in as if right on cue. I swear if she wasn't obsessed with shopping more than she was knowing about her husband's work I'd think that shit was scripted.

And equally as if right on cue, thunder broke out and Emmett started laughing.

"I fuckin' told you it was gonna rain. Your bike's getting soaked!" Emmett pointed to the driveway through the windows and kept chuckling. My brand new bike was getting soaked.

"Emmett, language!" Esme was busy yelling at Emmett to watch his mouth as I dropped my fork and bolted for the front door.

"Edward, dear, I'll open the garage for you!" I heard my Mah yell after me as I started to wheel my bike towards the garage. I should have fucking parked it there in the first place.

When I got into the garage Carlisle was standing there waiting on me with a huge smile on his face.

"Is that the new Ducati 1198s? It's beautiful." Carlisle's voice seemed flat and only somewhat impressed by my fuckawesome bike.

"Yeah, I got her in a few weeks ago." He'd successfully distracted me from his interrogation of Bella but it only lasted a few seconds. "Listen, Carlisle, back off Bella. She's going through a rough time and your questions aren't helping."

He threw his hands up in false retreat. "I was just curious to know more about the dear girl."

I nodded. I knew the shit he was trying to pull.

"Yeah, well, any questions you have about her, just ask me. I can answer 'em all for you."

He nodded and walked back in to see what my mother needed as she called out for him.

I followed after him making sure my bike was alright. Bella wasn't in the dining room with Emmett and Rose. When I stopped at the door to see her empty chair Rose stood up and walked quietly towards me.

"I think you should go check on her, she's in the restroom." Her tone was serious enough to make me concerned that something was really wrong. What had Carlisle said to her while I was putting my bike up?

I walked quietly towards the door only to hear her sniffling on the other side. I knocked softly.

"Bella, can you open the door? It's Edward."

I heard her shuffle and run the sink before she unlocked the door. Her eyes were bright red and I could tell she'd been crying. Without thinking about it, I pushed my way into the bathroom and shut the door. I grabbed her and hugged her tightly to me only to feel her crying again.

I kissed the top of her head and tried to find the right words to comfort her but curiosity got the best of me.

"Baby, why are you crying, what did he say to you when I left?"

She wouldn't answer me at first and I figured it might be best to just let her cry it out. After a few minutes I asked her again.

"I panicked Edward, I'm sorry. When Elizabeth asked me where I was living and I couldn't answer them because I didn't want it to sound like you were letting me stay with you or that I was homeless I didn't know what to do. Carlisle asked me why I wasn't still living at home and I couldn't tell him it was because of how I'd been treated. I just excused myself from the table and came in here. And I know it was rude but I didn't know what else to do. I'm so sorry I was rude to your family!"

She was obviously panicked. I kissed the top of her head a few more times and ran my hands through her hair to try and sooth her.

"Baby, you weren't rude to my family. They're really impressed by you. And don't worry about what Elizabeth and Carlisle think about where you live- I'm sure they'll ask Esme and she'll tell them the same thing I told her."

I knew that curiosity would get the best of her then and she'd look up at me.

"What did you tell her?"

I couldn't help but smile. I was so happy we'd been able to talk and get to know each other better before this moment. Otherwise, I would have looked like a complete prick.

"That I asked you to live with me because I don't want to let you go. That you're special to me."

Bella smiled slightly and blushed. She buried her head back into my chest and I knew something else was bothering her but I didn't want to push it.

There was a small knock at the door and I figured it was my Mah. I was right.

"Edward, Bella, it's raining pretty hard. You two may stay here tonight or you can take one of the cars home instead of the bike, dear."

She sounded genuinely worried about us and I loved her for it. My mother was the best.

"You ready to go home?" I asked Bella as quietly as I could. I didn't want her to feel obligated to answer me because my mother was standing outside of the bathroom door waiting on a response from me.

She nodded and wiped her eyes once more.

I opened the door and walked Bella out behind me. Esme gave us a concerned look and smiled weakly. She knew something was up but didn't want to push it.

"We're gonna borrow one of the cars. Thank you for the offer." She nodded her 'anytime' nod and stepped towards Bella.

"It was lovely to meet you dear. I look forward to seeing you again soon."

She leaned in and hugged her and whispered something to her that I didn't understand. Bella nodded and hugged her back.

Mah led us back towards the garage and opened up the key holder box.

"Take whichever one you'd like. Your father just had them serviced so they've all got new tires and all of that."

Bella looked around and made the same face she'd had in the garage by my cars only this time the cars were all uncovered because my parents drove them all in regular rotation.

"We'll take the BMW750." Esme nodded and handed me the keys. I walked a still very shaken up Bella to the passenger side door and seated her in the car. She looked like she fit so fucking perfect in that car, hell in my world, that you'd never know where she came from- where I'd found her.

I kissed my mother goodnight and climbed into the driver's side. Damn my mother had good taste in cars.

I looked over at Bella who was wringing her hands and staring at them. I reached over and grabbed her left one and pulled it towards me to kiss it. Bella looked up at me with wide eyes and watched as I gently kissed her hand from the palm to her knuckles.

"Lemmie take you home, sweetheart."


	35. Chapter 32: BMWs and Bedtime

**A/N: If you're visiting to read or reading 'cause you get automatic updates then leave a review please. I'm gonna repeat this lil note at the bottom. **

**I don't own anything. **

"Now beautiful boys, let's destroy.  
We'll shine as the lucite breaks and falls.  
Raise the new glitter god with the golden tears - the tears that swallow.  
A smile that's touched so warms nothing.

Yesterday I burnt the sky, looked to the ground and wrapped it around me.  
Still today I have so much to burn.  
Yesterday I longed to die, fell to the ground, and the ground caught me.  
Now today I question why I fell."

-AFI "100 Words"

BPOV

Edward grabbed my hand under the table as Carlisle and a woman walked in to the dining room. I wanted to bolt the minute he walked in.

I stood up to meet the two of them, Carlisle really for the second time.

Carlisle started asking me questions about where I was from and what my parents did and I wanted to squirm under his interrogation.

I answered his questions about where I was from and told him more than I'd even told Edward about my hometown.

I knew Carlisle was asking me about my dad to find out about his work and how closely I was connected to my dad's role as a cop.

Carlisle's wife asked me about where I lived and I clammed up. I didn't want to embarrass Edward right in front of his whole family and tell them that I'd been living with him because I had nowhere else to go.

Emmett yelled at Edward about it raining and his bike breaking up all of our conversations. Edward bolted for the door and I stayed frozen in my seat.

Carlisle was still staring at me as if he had more questions.

"So, Bella, are you staying with him for business or pleasure? I suppose it could be both depending on your line of work."

I looked up at Carlisle who was smiling wickedly at me. Elizabeth gasped and looked at Carlisle. Esme was looking at me with wide eyes and then over to Carlisle.

"Surely you're not suggesting Edward brought a hooker with him to dinner, dear." Elizabeth sounded only slightly shocked and more entertained by the idea.

I looked at Esme and then back at Emmett and Rose, Alice and Jasper. They all knew who I really was. Why I was really staying at Edward's home. And yet, I felt like a hooker. Like it was too obvious that I was staying with Edward because he could provide me with something I couldn't do for myself.

"I need to be excused." I stuttered out as I stood.

"Of course, dear." Esme was kind even though I could tell she was concerned that Carlisle's suggestion of me being a whore was on point.

I walked quickly to the bathroom where we'd washed our hands before dinner and shut the door behind me. I wanted to leave. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to cry. And as all the emotions came rushing to the surface, I started bawling.

I knew I didn't belong with Edward. I knew I wasn't good enough to even be in a home like this.

I knew that there was no real good reason for me to be around his family unless they were treating me like a charity case.

Edward knocked on the door. I panicked. I didn't want him to see me so torn up. I quickly splashed cold water on my face. It only made the redness in my eyes and cheeks worse as I dried off and unlocked the door.

As soon as he had his arms wrapped around me I lost it again. I only told him half of the questions Carlisle had asked me at the table because I didn't want him to be angry with me. I thought that he'd think I was coming off as someone that gave off the impression of a hooker and that he'd surely be ashamed to have brought me here.

I knew I'd be ashamed if I had brought me to meet his family- hooker or homeless, it didn't matter.

Edward continued to comfort me as Esme knocked on the door. She asked Edward something about staying here or driving home. I was still trying to tread through the thick emotions I had over being in front of his family and not making the best impression.

"You ready to go home?" I nodded as Edward asked me sweetly. I so very much wanted his home to be my home. But I still couldn't convince myself that it was permanent…or even really long term.

I followed Edward out to where Esme was standing waiting on us to give her our decision on what we were going to do for the night.

Edward told her we were going to borrow one of the cars and I wondered immediately how many they had after seeing the four in Edward's garage space.

"It was lovely to meet you dear. I look forward to seeing you again soon." There was no hint of disappointment or disdain for me in her voice. Even after what Carlisle had suggested of me. Esme leaned in and hugged me tightly. "Thank you for loving him, I know you do even if you haven't told him."

I nodded. What else could I do? There was a part of me that wanted to tell her she was wrong and we were just friends. But the other part of me wanted so much to agree with her and let her know I would tell him soon.

Both parts now shouting in my head had been silent up until now…stupid conscience.

I hugged her back. I said nothing to suggest she was either right or wrong.

When we walked in the garage I was again stunned to see so many cars in one place belonging to one family. I had seen the cars parked outside that belonged to Emmett and Jasper. I had no idea, though that Edward's parents would have so many.

There was a red Mercedes and a black BMW and a black Audi and three others that I didn't recognize immediately.

My nerves were still on high alert as Edward helped me into the black BMW and closed the door.

I wanted so badly to just curl up in a little ball and disappear as Edward said goodbye to his mother and walked towards the car. I didn't feel right. Like I fit in at all.

I was still overwhelmed with a sense of shame for myself in his presence and around his family. I didn't even notice when he climbed into the car and grabbed my hand to kiss it.

"Lemmie take you home, sweetheart." His voice was smooth and deep. And he seemed to be concerned about me in that moment.

We pulled out of the garage and started to drive down a dark driveway. I could feel the seat under me start to warm lulling me into a calm sleepy mood.

I leaned back and closed my eyes as I listened to Edward shift gears and speed down the road.

I don't remember us pulling into the garage or him opening the door for me but I remember feeling like I was being carried into the apartment and put in bed.

**A/N: If you're visiting to read or reading 'cause you get automatic updates then leave a review please. Also, I know I didn't put up pictures of the house or the cars but they're googleable until I get the time to post links on my profile. And lastly…some of you may not dig the repeat of story from a different POV but there were enough questions about Bella's experience at dinner and what Carlisle said to her that I figured you wouldn't mind. **

**Sleep tight. We're getting close to the end now…**


	36. Chapter 33: Feavers and Revelations

**I don't own anything…**

"I'm going out West where the wind blows tall…"

-"Going out West" Tom Waits

EPOV

I carried Bella through the house to the bedroom and laid her down on the covers. She'd fallen asleep quickly in that fuckawseome car Esme let us drive home.

She was out of it. I peeled off her shoes and then the thin jeans she'd been wearing to dinner.

Even passed out and drooling a little, she was beautiful. I had no plans on touching her while she was tuckered out, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to stay by her side until she woke up in the morning.

Emmett texted me to say he was staying at Roses house for the night so we wouldn't hear or see him.

I changed out of my dinner clothes and put on a pair of shorts to sleep in.

Bella was still curled up above the covers when I got ready to climb into our bed.

I picked her back up and pulled the covers down so she wouldn't get cold and spooned up behind her. She felt amazing in my arms. We were a perfect fit.

I had plans to ask her about the tears in the bathroom and how she'd acted as we left, but there was no way I was waking her up from her heavy sleep.

* * *

It was close to 4:00 AM when I started to wake up. Fuck I was burning up. I knew I hadn't turned the heat up in the house and the covers weren't that warm. Was I getting sick?

I rolled over and put my arm around Bella but immediately pulled it back. She was the stove in the bed. She was sticky and hot and still very deep in sleep.

I felt her forehead and it was on fucking fire. She had a fever.

Immediately I worried that the bike ride did this to her. If I was responsible for getting her sick I was going to figure out some way to kick my own ass. Or maybe have Emmett do it for me.

I tried to wake her up gently, but she didn't want to wake making me panic even more.

I climbed out of bed and pulled the sheets off of her too so she could maybe cool down. I picked up my phone and called the first person I could think of that could help with this shit.

She picked up on the first ring.

"Edward? Is everything alright, dear, it's so early in the morning?"

"Mom, Bella…she's sick…she's really burning up like with a fever. What should I do?"

Sure in that moment I felt like a fuckin' wuss but I wasn't about to panic on the phone with anyone other than my mother. And right now I was in a panic.

"Get her a cool washcloth and strip the bed so as cool as possible. Get her a glass of water and I'll be over with the family doctor as soon as possible."

My mom, the damn superhero of the family, fuck she was awesome.

I got the wash cloth and did the things she said I should do and sat next to Bella waiting for my mom and the doc to get to the house.

For the most part it had seemed like Bella was completely asleep as I waited, but occasionally she'd start whimpering and talking in her sleep.

She'd say random shit like _"I don't deserve him" _and _"I'm not good enough to stay there" _and the one that really got me was _"please don't tell him"_.

I didn't know if she was talking about Charlie or someone else or something else entirely considering she was racked with fever.

There was a knock at the door and while I hesitated to leave Bella alone felling like she did, I commanded Dallas to sit by the side of the bed and keep an eye on her.

My mom and our family physician, aka my dad, walked into the house quietly.

"Hi mom, Hi dad, thank you for coming over so quickly." They nodded and smiled slightly. They hadn't been over to my apartment for something like this, ever.

For a split second it made me wonder if they thought something major was wrong with me as a son since I'd been so distant and controlled only to look now like I couldn't keep my shit together. And then it hit me. Bella. She was changing me in way's I hadn't noticed until now. Fuck…I cuddled. That should have been sign enough that she'd changed integral parts of my being for good.

My mom walked into the bedroom to check on Bella but my father, Edward Senior, stood there waiting for me to say something. He spoke up first though.

"Edward, I'm sorry I missed dinner, there was an emergency surgery at the hospital." I nodded, I knew that was his passion. There was no guilt tripping a man about his passion.

"Thank you for coming tonight. I know you must be fuckin' beat. I woke up to Bella covered in sweat and she was burning up."

He nodded and silently walked towards the bedroom to check on Bella. I wanted to follow them both in to see after her but I didn't know if I should. Esme knew she was more to me than just some girl I had over but they both knew she wasn't my wife. So I didn't want to compromise her or them by watching them work on her.

Fuck I was nervous. I wasn't even rationalizing shit right.

I paced outside the door for at least an hour as I heard my mom and dad walk back and forth from the bathroom to the bedroom and talk in low whispers.

And then I heard Bella. She was crying and trying to tell my parents that she wasn't a hooker and that she really did care for me. I didn't even know where that shit was coming from or if she even knew what she was saying considering the fever and everything.

I leaned outside the bedroom door and waited till one of them called for me.

I must have waited for another hour before my dad's head popped out the door.

"Her fever broke and I gave her a sedative so she could sleep through the rest of the night." His explanation stopped abruptly and I could tell there was something else he wanted to say to me.

"Son, she said some heavy things in there. I have every confidence that you're treating her well but take care of her and let her know you care. She seems to think she's undeserving of your love."

I stared blankly at him. Love? Love. She wasn't some girl I had just toyed around with, broken some off to. She wasn't some random girl I'd picked up from a bar for a few hours of fun.

I'd rescued her from the streets and she rescued me from my solitude.

Fuck why hadn't I seen this sooner?

I sighed heavily.

"She should be fine, but I left some pills for her to take for the next four days so she doesn't get sick. And next time you take her out on that beautiful bike of yours, make sure she has proper clothes on. I think that's what did it to her."

I nodded and thanked him for coming.

My mother was still sitting by Bella on the bed when I walked in. she looked sad as she pet Bella's hair. Bella was fast asleep but looked much better than she had.

"Mah," I whispered, "thank you so much for coming over this morning." She nodded towards me and went back to petting Bella's hair. Esme leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before she got up and led me back into the hallway.

"Bella's had a rough day, dear." I nodded but let her continue. "She cares about you incredibly. But she's up against a huge force that's going to prevent her from ever being truly happy…her self-doubt. And honey, I know she's strong, but even the snide comment Carlisle made tonight tore her up."

I looked at her puzzled, Bella hadn't mentioned anything about Carlisle on the way home.

"She didn't tell you, Edward?" I shook my head 'no'.

Esme sighed heavily and cast her eyes down. She was obviously ashamed of her brother in that moment.

"He suggested she was a street worker, Edward. Elizabeth thought he might be joking with only made his comment come off more as if he were making fun of her. It was troublesome because I know she's not a hooker."

Anger and understanding then questioning washed through me as my mother explained what had happened right after I'd left to roll my bike into the garage.

"Wait, you know?"

My mother nodded confidently.

"How? Who told you?"

She smiled warmly- nowhere near that smile that I usually got when someone I was asking a secret about got…not like Carlisle's smile.

"Bella told me tonight, dear. She said you rescued her. That she'd been homeless."

**A/N: I'll be writing more later today… but please please please review. Just a few little words about what you dug or hated would be great…**


	37. Chapter 34: Breaking Through

BPOV

I had the most vivid dreams after we left Esme's house. I dreamed that my mom came to visit me and asked me why I was so sad.

"_Bella, what's wrong?" she was petting my forehead with a cool cloth. I was so warm and felt so sleepy even though I thought I was awake…but dreaming?_

_My mom had always been the one I'd told everything to so when she asked me what was wrong I admitted everything to her. That I felt like I was finally able to tell someone everything…everything that had been weighing me down since she'd left. _

"_Mom, I've been on the streets for so long. I've missed you so much. And then he found me and he's looked after me and I'm so thankful but I don't deserve him." _

_She continued to pet my forehead and my skin cooled around her touch. "It's okay Bella, everything is going to be okay."_

"_Mom, I'm not good enough for his family, he'll never want to be with me. His uncle thinks I'm a hooker. And I care about him, I really do, but he's never going to want me. I'm never going to be good enough for them."_

_I was crying then. She tried to dry my tears but they kept coming. It was so warm in the room I was too uncomfortable to keep lying down. When I tried to move my dream held me down. _

"_Bella, honey, you need to rest. It's been a long day for you…just relax. You're good enough for Edward, and his family loves you. I assure you. He already wants you, dear. He already cares about you greatly. Just tell him how you feel and I promise it will all work out. He needs you as much as you need him, sweetheart."_

_She hugged me hard and kissed my still warm forehead. "Bella, dear, you need to rest now. Try and get some sleep. Edward will be next to you when you wake up."_

I wanted to hold on to her but she was right, I needed to rest. I remember rolling over and not feeling as warm as I had. I fell into a deep sleep that left me pretty well rested.

When I woke up the sun looked like it was going down. How long had I slept? I shifted in the bed finding that I was tucked in pretty tightly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Edward was sitting next to me on the bed, resting against the headboard. When he spoke it was practically a whisper.

I took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I feel…like a mummy. Did you tuck me in this tightly?"

Edward smiled slightly and reached down to pull the covers away from my shoulders.

"How are you feeling, otherwise? You had a rough night last night, Bella."

I sat up and looked at him funny. Was he referring to the questions Carlisle had thrown at me in front of him?

He must have seen the curiosity on my face because he answered me quickly after.

"I woke up around 4:00 AM this morning to find you with a 103 degree fever. You were really bad off."

I gasped. Fever? Edward proceeded to explain the whole thing to me.

"I called my parents. My dad, you didn't meet him- he was at work, is a doctor. They came over and he checked on you and gave you something to help you with your fever. My mom stayed with you most of the morning. He, uh, left something for you to take for the next few days so you don't get really sick. They're on the table in the kitchen."

I didn't know what to say to him. Had I talked in my sleep? Had he heard my dream? What about what Carlisle had said to me?

"Edward, I had a really vivid dream I was talking to my mom last night. But I get the feeling that it wasn't my mom I was really talking to. Was it Esme?"

Edward nodded. I blushed hard and buried my head in the pillow I'd been sleeping on. I felt Edward shift in the bed and wrap an arm around me.

"Hey, it's okay, Bella. Esme really cares about you. She told me what happened and everything you said, but I'm not mad." He was soothingly rubbing my back as he explained what happened last night.

"But I bet you're embarrassed but me…" I grumbled more to myself than to him, but he apparently heard me.

"Bella, I'm not fucking ashamed of you. Please look at me, baby." I felt him pull gently and I turned my head to look at him. Edward had his head on the pillow next to mine and his face made me blush again.

He had a pleading look in his eyes that I'd never seen before. When he spoke it was almost in a whisper.

"Bella, I really fucking care about you. Hell, you may not have any idea how much I really want you to be with me, but I'm not willing to give up on us."

I nodded for him to go on. He did.

"Aside from my uncle, and boss, Carlisle and his fucked up approach to dinner last night, my family adores you. We know that you've been through a fucked up life. We know that you don't have anyone to turn to and you feel like you don't deserve to be here. But I adore you too. And I want you to feel comfortable here. You deserve to be here."

I swallowed hard. I'd never heard him talk like this. I mean, in all fairness, I'd not heard him talk much anyway. We'd never had a chance to really sit down and have conversations like a normal couple. Were we a normal couple?

Edward laughed lightly. "No, we're not a normal couple, Bella."

My eyes got huge and I looked at him. I'd said that out loud. Crap.

"We're not a normal couple, but we can make this work. Just think of it like this," he pulled me closer to him as he spoke, "You've already moved in and we're past the whole…meet the parent's phase. Now we can focus on the being intimate phase and the being happy in life phase."

I giggled. Edward smiled warmly at me.

"I'm not really familiar with those phases…I've never done something like this before."

Edward's eyes got a little wide. "You've never had a boyfriend, before?"

I shook my head, 'no'.

"Well, there's a first for everything. You should know I've never had a girl sleep in this bed before…or in this apartment. So we've both got something new to bank on."

**A/N: I SWEAR THERE'S A LEMON UP NEXT CHAPTER. I have to go, though, a friend is having a concert and I promised to go sit in the audience. **

**Thank you to everyone that's reviewed so far. I can tell you now, though, the requests for longer chapters are still falling on deaf ears. I try and reply to all the reviews but I'm not sure if I get them all. You should maybe leave two or three so I don't miss any. ; ) Night night. **


	38. Chapter 35: Breakfast in Bed, sortof

**I don't own anything. I hope you enjoy. If you dig it or if you hate it, leave me a review!!! There were 4000 some hits yesterday and only about 30 reviews. Someone isn't sharing their opinions, damnit. **

BPOV

"_Well, there's a first for everything. You should know I've never had a girl sleep in this bed before…or in this apartment. So we've both got something new to bank on."_

Edward smiled warmly at me as he pulled me into his warm, firm body. I blushed. Again.

I reached up on his shoulders and wrapped my arms around his neck. In that moment I felt happy and safe and really excited to be near Edward without many clothes on.

He had such a beautiful crooked grin on his face as he leaned forward and started to kiss me. At the core of my body I could feel myself waking up to something I'd never felt before. Sure I'd felt butterflies in there before, but this, it was something more fierce, something more than I'd ever felt in my entire life.

His warm, soft lips pushed against mine and the feeling deep inside me grew. I could hear Edward almost growling as he parted his lips and ran his tongue along my bottom lip.

At first I thought he was angry with me so I pulled back quickly. Edward froze and then quickly pulled back from me.

"Bella, what is it?" I thought for a sheer second that he'd be angry with me for pulling back but then I really read the look on his face.

"I, uh, thought you were mad at me for a second." Edward tilted his head back and laughed loudly.

"You are so uptight, Bella. Just relax, listen, lay back and let me show you something. Lay very still."

I couldn't help but giggle as Edward gently pushed me back onto the bed and tickled my sides.

Edward left hot, electric, kisses down my neck to my collar bones. I started breathing heavily causing my chest to heave heavily.

"Sweetheart, calm down, I'm not gonna' hurt you. I promise, this'll feel amazing." I nodded but couldn't say anything as he licked along my collar bone leaving a hot trail of Edward's scent along my skin.

I couldn't help it. I moaned.

I vaguely heard Edward chuckle as I felt his kisses travel down between my breasts but over my shirt.

I felt Edward tug at my tank top trying to pull over it my chest making me laugh. "This shit needs to come off, damnit." He growled. I giggled again. Hearing Edward frustrated about a shirt was so different than I'd heard in the past being frustrated about things like death and crimes.

I pulled the tank top off and leaned back into the pillows as Edward started to run his hands over my torso. He moved his hands up towards my breasts making me gasp.

"Edward, are…you…sure…" I was waiting for him to stop and pull his hands off my chest. Instead he just paused. His hands were just below my breasts and his head popped up looking at me.

"Bella, are you okay? Am I hurting you?" I shook my head 'no' and rested back on the pillow once more.

Edward dropped his head back to my chest and started to nip at the top o f my breasts. Where ever his skin connected with mine left a humming sensation that felt like my skin was submerged in sparkling water.

His soft kisses and short licks left me feeling so happy.

Edward moved his strong, heavy, hands over my breasts and firmly pawed at them as his lips grazed from one nipple to the next. Every time his lips traveled over the tightened skin at the tips, I couldn't help but arch my back towards him.

It was as if my body craved even more than my brain did.

I ran my hands through is hair holding him close to me as he continued to kiss and lick down my chest over my stomach before he came to the lining of my panties.

Once again I felt him growl against my skin and I knew that he was impatient to have them removed from my hips.

His hands moved from my rib cage down my back to the juncture between my ass and my thighs. Edward pulled me into his warm, nibbling mouth as if he couldn't taste enough of my already hot and sticky skin.

I felt his warm smooth lips travel from my navel down again to the cotton of my boyshorts and then I felt him pull them down. His hands remained on my backside but traveled down my thighs as he pulled my panties down with his teeth.

Waves of neon heat rolled through me as I felt the bristle of his face rub down my thighs towards my ankles. There was a slight pause between the connection from his skin to mine before I felt it again just below my belly button.

Edward kissed slowly down and over to my pelvic bone before he licked his way over to the other side just as he'd done to my breasts.

There was a deep tickling sensation that coiled from my belly button to the junction between my thighs. Something I'd never, ever, felt before I'd been near Edward.

He twisted his hands from my backside so that his thumbs rubbed over my pelvic bones holding me in place as he pushed his torso between my legs.

I could feel myself getting more and more moist wondering just what was happening to me as Edward got closer and closer to where I was pretty sure he was aiming.

"Bella, fuck, you're incredible." He growled as he continued to kiss and lick over my skin. I could feel him nibbling my thighs as he pushed his face in between them. Edward softly but firmly moved his hands down from my hips to my knees pulling my legs apart.

"I bet you taste incredible." And just as he said the last syllable, I felt his tongue lick over my clit sending me shuddering further into him as my hips involuntarily raised up towards him.

My eyes rolled back in my head as my hips finally connected with the bed again. What Edward did to my body in that one move practically sent me over the moon.

I could hear him again chuckling as he licked over the outer lips of my center. As I felt his tongue travel over my clit again, I couldn't help but tighten my grip in his hair. Edward's hands ran over my thighs soothing me back into the bed as he continued to lick me over and over again.

The tightening in my core started up again as it had when he'd kissed me the first time and I couldn't help but feel as if I was about to jump off the top of a building. Pressure was mounting and I wanted to beg him for a release but I had no idea what to do or say.

"Edward," I moaned, "please…I need to…." I didn't know how to voice what I needed. In that moment I felt him run one of his thick, calloused covered fingers from the tip of my clit to my center and push inside me.

My breathing got heaver as I felt my body climb up to the edge and push itself over as waves of pleasure washed over me. I started panting and breathing Edward's name as he licked faster and harder than he had been.

Is I came down from my pleasure high I could feel him kissing and rubbing my thighs as his lips traveled back up towards my chest.

As he kissed he started to speak in between each kiss. "You….are..…fucking….incredible…" I started to sit up to see him as he kissed father and father up my chest back towards my collar bone.

Edward's lips reached mine and they tasted salty and sweet. And in that second I knew I was tasting myself on his lips. A flood of embarrassment washed over me realizing what he'd done but I'd trusted him and he'd said that he wasn't embarrassed of me so there was no reason for me to feel ashamed either.

**A/N: For everyone that wanted it…there's the first slice of lemon for you. I'm exhausted just thinking about Edward and his ridiculously talented tongue. I hope you have a great night! PS…you might not have noticed but I have a pretty hard time focusing when I write stuff like this. I also managed to squeeze in the latest chapter of Master of the Universe and Clipped Wings and Inked Armor as I was writing….two AMAZINGly hot fics I recommend. **

**Smmoochies. **


	39. Chapter 36: Figuring It All Out

"**There's a green one, and a pink one, and blue one and a yellow one, they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same." –Opening theme to Weeds. My favorite version is from Rise Against. Luckily, Edward doesn't fit that mold all too well. Swoon.**

**A/N: I don't own anything. **

I pulled Bella out of bed just before noon so I could take her shopping. I fucking hated shopping for girly shit. But I wanted Bella to feel spoiled and I knew she deserved that shit so I gave it no second thoughts.

She was snoring softly in my bed as I drank my coffee and watched her.

Fuck I was turning into a damn sap.

I texted Emmett and Jasper and made dinner plans with them and the girls so I'd be able to give Bella a not-so-shmucky-face excuse for taking her downtown shopping.

"Baby wake up, let's grab a shower before the afternoon wastes away."

I ran my hands down her back in long strokes to wake her up. Fuck I wanted to climb back in that bed and make her mine. But I knew we'd need to take small steps before she'd be completely okay with everything I had planned for her.

Bella grunted sighed as I continued to touch her lightly. I knew it tickled, that's why I was doing it.

"Come on, come take a shower with me."

Bella lifted her head up like she'd heard a noise and looked around.

"I hope I'm not dreaming and you're not kidding. Really?" she looked so damn excited to hear those words come out of my mouth that I could feel myself start to get hard. I pulled her hand that had been hanging off the bed and started to drag her towards the shower.

"C'mon, we've got shit to do and dinner tonight with everyone so let's go get cleaned up."

Bella climbed out of bed and stumbled a few steps towards me. Her hair was a fuckin' mess but damn she looked cute.

I started the shower and quickly pulled my pajama pants off. Looking over my shoulder I saw Bella staring at my ass and I chuckled.

"Get in here before I finish up without you, girly." She jumped forward and pushed me into the shower before tugging off the tank top and panties she'd somehow managed to put back on after my breakfast fun.

Bella giggled and started to hog the water, but I didn't mind one bit.

I grabbed the shampoo and started to massage her scalp with the flowery smelling stuff Alice had bought her. I couldn't decide if I liked running my hands through her soft wet hair or watching the soap run down her back over her ass more. Either way Bella felt me getting harder behind her and giggled more as she pushed into my erection.

"Fuck, Bella, you can't do that unless you're gonna do something with it."

Bella turned around and rested her palms on my chest as she looked up into my eyes with a sly grin.

"Can I play with it? Would that count as doing something with it?" she giggled again as she ran her hands from my chest down my six pack to my hard on and wrapped her hands around it.

Fuck me she felt good.

I ran my hands down her sides and pulled her body into mine trapping her hands between us and kissed her firmly. She opened her lips and let me push my tongue into hers and wrapped it around hers. Hell, even her morning breath was sweet.

I heard her moan lightly and that only encouraged me to pull her closer to me. She started to pull her hands away from my dick when I growled slightly.

"Do not stop touching me, it feels amazing." I grunted in between kisses. I could hear her laugh lightly as she wrapped her hands firmly around me again and started to pump slowly.

"When we get into bed tonight, can I taste you?" Bella asked as she continued to kiss me. Fucking Hell. I knew she wasn't trying to talk dirty to me, but damn it worked for me just as well.

"Fuck yes you can sweetheart." Bella continued to work on my erection as she kissed me and I could feel myself working towards an orgasm. "Bella, you're gonna make me cum. You feel so fucking good. Don't stop, baby."

She moved her lips from mine and started to kiss and lick my neck. I knew she hadn't been with anyone else so I knew I was her first and fuck that made me feel like a mother fucking champion. I leaned back into the tile and let her work me over because it seemed like it's what she wanted to do the most.

As soon as Bella wrapped her hands around my balls and started to pump the base of my cock I knew it was over. I wrapped my hands in her hair as she continued to kiss and nip at my neck. As she pumped I felt myself tighten and pull back for a split second before I came in her eager hands. Bella kept pumping as I finished and I had to stop her before I got too sensitive.

"Did you like that, Edward?" she asked in between kisses on my collar bone.

I pulled her into me again and started to kiss her as hard as I could.

"Fuck yes I liked that. You're really fucking good at that, Bella." I started to kiss and nip back at her neck as she'd done to me before she pulled back and looked up at me with the same look she'd had on her face before she'd started to give me an incredible hand job.

"We should get out before we prune up." And with that she jumped out of the shower and started to towel off. Damnit she was teasing me.

I climbed out of the shower and followed after her. Bella was getting dressed as I walked into the bedroom holding my towel over myself. I walked passed her and smacked her ass lightly getting a giggle from her I'd been hoping for.

Throwing on a pair of grey dress pants and a white shirt I walked back out to find Bella brushing her hair out and clipping it on one side. Fuck I was a girl for noticing crap like that. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"You ready to go?" I asked her as I kissed her neck. She nodded and put her hair brush down.

"Where are we going?" she asked me innocently.

"I'm taking you shopping for something to wear for tonight. We're going out with everyone for dinner."

Her face lit up and she smiled. "I'm not a fan of shopping, but I'm excited to spend the day with you!" she spun around in my arms and hugged me tightly.

"I promise, it won't be that damn painful baby."

We were in the fourth store of the day when we decided it was time to stop and get coffee. Bella had found a couple of dresses she dug so I picked them up for her. I looked like such a chump carrying around her garment bag but, once again, I didn't give a shit.

I was following Bella into a Starbucks when she tensed up right after we walked through the door. Mike and Laurent were standing in line looking like the two idiots they were. I knew why Bella wasn't as calm as she'd seemed at the club.

Different lighting.

"Hey Bella! Hey Edward." Mike nodded his head towards me after he practically lunged toward Bella just to say hello.

Bella quietly said "hello" and looked up at me with wide eyes.

"How have you been, Bella?" it didn't escape my attention that Mike was only asking her. Usually we didn't socialize outside of work, but only talking to my girl, that shit pissed me off.

"We've been fine," It didn't slip my attention how Bella'd responded either. That shit made me smile.

"Fuck, Bella, it's the strangest thing. I feel like I've met you before. I mean, before the club even. Are you sure we haven't met before? Maybe at another party Carlisle threw?"

Bella swallowed hard and I could feel her tense up. If she wasn't careful, she was going to tip Mike off to where he'd seen her before.

Mike turned to look at Laurent who was holding his coffee and staring at Bella with a curious eye.

"Fuck me," Laurent whispered, "You're that girl, from the dumpster."

* * *

**I missed hearing from all of you so I just had to write another chapter. I've got the rest of the story outlined and I'll be writing most of this week and next. AND I've thought up my next fan fiction already. I can't make any promises as to when I'm going to start it. But hopefully, it'll be sooner than later. **

**LEAVE A REVIEW!!! It's better than shopping. Well, maybe not shopping with Edward, but you get the idea. **


	40. Chapter 37: Want Coffee With That?

**A/N: I don't own anything. And I've been listening to a TON of Rise Against lately so here's some more from them….**

"So tell me now  
If this ain't love then how do we get out?  
Because I don't know  
That's when she said I don't hate you boy  
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save  
That's when I told her I love you girl  
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have"

-"Savior" Rise Against

BPOV

"_Fuck me," Laurent whispered, "You're that girl, from the dumpster." _

I looked up at Edward and asked him quietly if we could leave before the two men in front of me said anything more. I tried to mold myself into Edward's side while trying to get away from Mike and Laurent.

"Wait, oh fuck, you are that girl!" Mike yelled out loud as he put the pieces together in his head. Several people standing in line for their coffee turned to look at us. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled on him to leave with me.

I wanted nothing more than to run away. I didn't know what they were going to do to me now that they'd figured out who I was. I didn't confirm or deny who they said I was once they'd started to figure it out. I knew I was a terrible liar and they'd see through it the minute I started to say anything.

"Edward, what the fuck, man?" Mike looked up at Edward and swallowed hard. It was strange, it was as if he'd been lied to about Santa being real. Like he couldn't believe that Edward could be with me because I was homeless. "You're fucking a homeless girl?"

Edward lunged forward and grabbed Mike by the shirt collar and dragged him outside the coffee shop. It happened so quickly that I just stood there frozen with my shopping bags staring at a still very shocked Laurent.

I turned to see Edward yelling at Mike and Mike looking bewildered still. Laurent cleared his throat and I slowly turned back to look at him.

"So, you're homeless….that must suck." I was still frozen in place as Laurent searched for something relevant to say.

"Did you see what happened that night?" He asked cautiously and I started to tear up once again. I shook my head back and forth slowly. I didn't trust my voice to say no, but I meant it when I gestured.

Laurent nodded. "I believe you." I felt a hand wrap around my arm and pull hard.

"Let's go Bella, I'll make you coffee at _home_." Edward started to lead me forcefully out the door of the coffee shop as Mike and Laurent watched us with dumbfounded looks on their faces. I couldn't help but tear up as he dragged me down the street back towards his apartment.

"Edward, stop! You're hurting me!" Edward stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at me.

"Bella, we need to get home. It's not safe for you to be in the streets right now!" I pulled my hand out of his and looked at him as I thought about what he said. I'd spent enough time on the street to know that it wasn't safe, but at the same time being around Edward meant that I was in more danger than I had been on my own.

Edward turned to look at me with angry eyes. "Fuck Bella, let's go, I don't want you getting in the middle of this!"

I couldn't believe what he was saying. In the middle of this?

"Edward, I caused this! How could I not be in the middle of this?" Edward rolled his eyes and walked back towards me until we were chest to chest. He wrapped his arms around me and sighed heavily.

"Bella, love, I only want to protect you and I can't do that out here in the streets." His voice was so soft and sweet it was as if we were back in the confines and safety of his bedroom.

I nodded in agreement because I understood but there was still so much I wanted to say to him about how all of this was so fucked up. I let him lead me back to the car but I was silent with defiance. At least I hoped that's how he saw it.

Edward didn't say anything as we drove back to the apartment. When we finally got up to his floor I'd had enough of him being pissed off at me and I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Damnit Edward, I don't know how to fix this but please don't be mad at me. You're all I have and if you're mad at me, I don't…." Edward turned around to glare at me and I flinched.

"You think I'm mad at you, Bella?!? How the fuck could you think I was mad at you? You didn't do anything to cause this! This is my fucking problem and I'll fucking fix it!"

Emmett walked out of his bedroom with an alarmed look on his face and quickly walked up to the two of us still yelling at each other.

"Whoa, what the fuck is going on out here? Edward? Why the fuck are you yelling?" Emmett looked startled enough by our shouting that it made me quiet down. I didn't want both of them mad at me.

"She doesn't fucking get it, Emmett! How the fuck can I fix this is she's blaming herself?!?" Edward threw his hands up in the air making me flinch back again. Deep down inside I knew he wouldn't hit me but his anger and his flailing about was really starting to make me nervous.

Emmett stepped between Edward and I facing me. When he spoke his voice was full of compassion and nervousness. He put his hands on my shoulders and dropped his head so he was looking me in the eyes sweetly.

"Bella, gimmie a minute with Edward, would you please?" Edward was pacing behind Emmett still making me nervous. But as Emmett finished his question he lifted his hand and motioned towards the bedroom again and ushered me down the hall.

"We'll be done here in a few minutes and then we'll get ready for dinner. Okay, Bella?" Emmett's voice was laced with concern and care leaving me to wonder what he was going to do to fix all the drama between Edward and I.

I felt like I did the night Dimitri was standing in the living room and emotions started to cloud my head. Tears started to run down my face as I heard Emmett walk behind me into the bedroom. Emmett put his hands back on my shoulders and squeezed me firmly.

"Bella, listen, everything's going to be okay. Just…um…lemmie talk to Edward for a minute and we'll get this all figured out."

I nodded and waited for him to close the door. He left it cracked and I listened intently as he walked quickly back into the living room.

I could hear him practically yelling at Edward as they spoke about what had happened.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Edward?!? All I heard is you and Bella yelling back and forth and I walk in to see her flinching away from you and hear you going off about how it's not her fault. What the fuck did you do?"

I could hear Edward pacing back and forth still.

"Fuck, Emmett!!! This is out of hand!"

Emmett sighed.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Talking. About?" Emmett sounded really confused and really frustrated.

"I'm talking about Mike and Laurent. We ran into them downtown and they figured out where they knew Bella from." Edward sounded so angry I still couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Okay, but why the fuck are you yelling at Bella about it? It's not her fault they recognized her, man."

Edward's voice got louder at that comment.

"That's what I was trying to tell her!! Fuck, this has gotten so out of hand. I told Mike to stay the fuck away from her and to keep his fucking mouth shut but damnit, I can't out n' out kill them both for no good reason!"

"Edward, calm the fuck down. We can fix this but it's going to take a few days. Right now though, you've got a scared girl in there that feels guilty for something she didn't do. You need to go to her and quit being a fucking toolbag!"

There was a long pause and then I heard Emmett's voice again but it was lower and sounded even more serious than before.

"Look, we can take care of this like we did Charlie before it gets out, but you can't fly off the handle like this around Bella. You'll fucking scare her off. Now go make sure she's okay and let's go to dinner. I swear to God, though, Edward…if you make her cry again I'll jump you myself…worse than Carlisle ever would."

**A/N: I LOVED all of the reviews you all left. Some of you cussed me out (in a good way- it makes sense if you read the reviews) while others just cursed me. Please leave me some more reviews. They make my fucking day to read all your thoughts while I'm at work during the day. **

**I'll try and have the next chapter up tomorrow or the day after. None of my favorite stories are updating so I've got tons of time to write. **


	41. Chapter 38: This Wasn't Her Fault

**A/N: I don't own anything. I haven't seen the movie yet but I've got big plans to go. I know it will be awesome. Please leave a review- I love reading them. **

EPOV

When I'd pulled Mike out into the street I'd wanted to kill him right then and there. I knew I couldn't really take him out for figuring out who Bella was- unless he did something to hurt her. I had a code to follow and as much as I fucking hated Mike and Laurent and Carlisle in that moment, I knew I had to keep my head about this whole shit storm.

"E, why the fuck are you dating the homeless girl? And she's a witness, isn't she? And a cop's daughter? What the fuck is wrong with you man?" Mike was laughing as if this whole thing was a damn joke to him and he was just humored by the fact that I was with a girl he thought was no better than the sluts we'd seen in the streets.

"First of all, she's not fucking homeless. She didn't witness shit. And her dad's not in the picture. You need any more updates? You want to be added to the newsletter list, you nosey bitch?"

Mike's eyes got wide and he realized I wasn't kidding- just like I wasn't most of the time when I was around him. He held his hands up in retreat and started to back pedal his choice of words.

"Hey man, sorry, I was just trying to figure out which way was up. I just realized who she was and couldn't figure out why you'd be wasting your time with a piece of trash homeless girl when you could have your pick of the girls from the club. I didn't mean any disrespect. My lips are sealed, man."

Internally, I snapped when he said what he did. Lesson number one when talking to street hoods: when they say they didn't mean to say or imply something, they did. Mike wanted to act like he was all fucking loyal and sincere but we both knew he was a shady sack of shit that wanted to climb the ranks of our organization.

"You listen here, motherfucker, you wouldn't know which way was up if I handed you a fucking compass. I already told you that Bella's not homeless. Now, if I hear you disrespect her in any goddamn way, I'll personally put you at the bottom of the nearest river. Bella's mine and she's better than any slut you try to shake your dick at in any club."

Mike looked like he wanted to hit me. I knew there was a part of him that wanted her for himself and that's why he was acting like this. He shook his head and started to say something else but I cut him off.

"Stay the fuck away from her, Mike. There's no fucking reason for you to even look at her so don't fucking try it."

Laurent had been talking to Bella when I stormed back into the Starbucks. Even standing behind her I could tell she was tense and nervous. Her shoulders were hunched and I could see her hands wrapped around her torso. Laurent was staring at her intensely whispering something to her. Even if he sounded sincere he looked like he was trying to convince her of something she wasn't comfortable with in the first place. I didn't want her anywhere near either of those two fuckers because I knew how sadistic and shady they really were. Even with the sweet thug exterior, they were sick fucks that enjoyed screwing over any and everyone they possibly could.

I grabbed Bella by the arm and she jumped. When she turned her head she looked stunned and scared that it might be someone other than me and that only made me more angry that she was nervous that I might let someone hurt her. I'd fucking promised her that I would not allow that.

"Let's go Bella, I'll make you coffee at _home_." I wanted Laurent _and _Bella to know that I considered my apartment her home. I practically pushed Bella out of the building in an effort to get her home as soon as I could. As we headed down the sidewalk I felt her hand pull out of mine causing me to stop and turn to see what was going on.

"Edward, stop! You're hurting me!" I could feel my gut wrench as she cried out about how forcefully I'd been dragging her behind me. I cursed myself for ever causing her pain but she needed to know that this wasn't personal and that I was just trying to keep her out of harm's way.

"Bella, we need to get home. It's not safe for you to be in the streets right now!" She looked at me defiantly and started to pout. I couldn't help but break her stare and look around to make sure no one was coming after us. When I looked back at her she was still pouting and looking more angry at me than hurt.

"Fuck Bella, let's go, I don't want you getting in the middle of this!" And, God's honest truth, I didn't want her getting in between any squabble Mike and I were having. The minute those words left my mouth, though, I realized that I wasn't clear about what the _middle of this_ really meant. Bella stomped her foot and tightened her fists by her side as she started to yell at me.

"Edward, I caused this! How could I not be in the middle of this?" Ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous. Bella was once again blaming herself for being a victim of circumstance and nothing more. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her. I walked up to her and got as close as I could hoping that she'd understand the seriousness of my intentions if I showed her _and _told her.

"Bella, love, I only want to protect you and I can't do that out here in the streets." What I didn't tell her was that I was still carrying a loaded weapon strapped to my leg that I wouldn't hesitate to pull out and use in broad daylight. My only hesitation was having Bella near live gunfire.

I wrapped my arms around her as I spoke and tried my damndest to convince her silently that I was doing this for her. She was still pissed at me and probably still beating herself up but I knew that she was giving in just enough to let me felt satisfied considering the situation.

I racked my brain trying to figure out how I could take those two assholes out without drawing a ton of suspicion from the boss. I was so engrossed in plotting and planning that I didn't realize I'd been ignoring Bella the whole drive home.

The minute the door closed behind her she started yelling at me.

"Damnit Edward, I don't know how to fix this but please don't be made at me. You're all I have and if you're mad at me, I don't…"

What the fuck? She thought I was mad at her? I cut her off before she could finish her sentiment. It didn't escape me that she'd mentioned that I was all she had. My heart simultaneously broke and soared as I realized she was telling me she cared about me and that I mattered to her. But shit, this wasn't her fight. This was between me and two goons in my organization that were threatening to take everything that mattered away from me- my love, my status, my safety, and possibly my life.

"You think I'm mad at you, Bella?!? How the fuck could you think I was mad at you? You didn't do anything to cause this! This is my fucking problem and I'll fucking fix it!" I realized that I was practically screaming at her as I saw Emmett out of the corner of my eye. All I had seen was red. And as the anger cleared for a split second I saw that I'd been making Bella tremble and flinch away from me.

Real great, Cullen, real fucking great. I was still so fucking angry when Emmett finally interrupted our shouting match.

"Whoa, what the fuck is going on out here? Edward? Why the fuck are you yelling?" Bella looked like I'd been scolding her and she was worried but curious about what Emmett would have to say to her.

"She doesn't fucking get it, Emmett!! How the fuck can I fix this if she's blaming herself?!?" I knew I needed his help to make this better for her. She'd come with me from the coffee shop but she was still convinced I was mad at her and blamed her for the bullshit those two had put her through.

Emmett stepped in between the two of us and practically whispered to Bella to wait for us in the bedroom. I figured he was about to beat my ass for raising my voice to her. I deserved whatever he had to dish out.

When Emmett turned back out of the bedroom he started to charge towards me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Edward?!? All I heard is you and Bella yelling back and forth and I walk in to see her flinching away from you and hear you going off about how it's not her fault." He shoved me hard back into the wall by the door to the apartment. "What the fuck did you do?"

When he didn't hit me part of me decided that I would ask him to beat the shit out of me just to punish me for hurting her and yelling at her.

I started pacing back and forth to figure out what was going on. This was all blowing way out of proportion and for once a stern voice and a threat or two wasn't going to fix it.

"Fuck, Emmett!!! This is out of hand!"

Great, Edward. Like that explained anything. I heard Emmett sigh and lean against the dining room table effectively blocking me from being able to walk back towards the bedroom without going through him first.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Talking. About?" I knew that if he was talking to me like I was a child then I really was acting like a fucking idiot. Emmett was the only person that could get away with speaking to me like that- well…Emmett and Alice. I stopped pacing and looked at him like it was obvious.

"I'm talking about Mike and Laurent. We ran into them downtown and they figured out where they knew Bella from." Fuck just staying it out loud made me angry again and I started yelling and pacing.

Emmett shook his head and looked at me like I was still retarded.

"Okay, but why the fuck are you yelling at Bella about it? It's not her fault that they recognized her, man."

"That's what I was trying to tell her!! Fuck, this has gotten so out of hand. I told Mike to stay the fuck away from her and to keep his fucking mouth shut but damnit, I can't out'n out kill them both for no good reason!"

Emmett held his hands back up and tried to speak to me in a calm bullshit tone.

"Edward, calm the fuck down. We can fix this but it's going to take a few days. Right now though, you've got a scared girl in there that feels guilty for something she didn't do. You need to go to her and quit being a fucking toolbag!" Emmett looked at me again like I was retarded and waited for his words to sink in.

I knew he was right but I didn't want to barge in there while I was still so fucking pissed of and make it worse. Bella was probably fucking packing her bags to take off by now considering the way I'd gone off on her.

Emmett rolled his eyes at me again and walked closer to me.

"Look, we can take care of this like we did Charlie before it gets out of hand, but you can't fly off the handle like this around Bella. You'll fucking scare her off. Now go make sure she's okay and let's go to dinner." I started to walk off towards the bedroom when he put one of his huge hands on my chest to stop me.

"I swear to God, though, Edward… if you make her cry again I'll jump you myself…worse than Carlisle ever would."

I nodded, he dropped his hand, and I walked towards the bedroom. I stopped short of going in when I realized Bella was sitting by the bedroom door that had been left slightly open.

She'd heard everything. And she was crying.

**A/N: I hope you all liked the fuck long chapter. HUGE thanks to everyone that's reviewed so far. Some of you have just found this and still went back to review every chapter. I love ya for it. I'm in the process of writing the next two chapters so hold tight and I'll have them out soonish. **


	42. Chapter 39: Trying To End Them

**I don't own anything. I say Fuck a lot. Someone mentioned it. I'm fucking sorry I cuss so much in my writing. But thanks for your reviews!!! I loved and read each of them. **

BPOV

When Edward walked into the bedroom I was still crying from our fight. I had known deep down that he wouldn't hit me and I knew that he wouldn't stay angry at me- even though he'd said he wasn't angry in the first place. But after years of trying to survive Charlie's torment I couldn't help but cry after experiencing his anger.

I had slumped from the wall to sit in the floor by the door as I heard Emmett and Edward argue over me and the two men that could possible try and kill me after today.

I didn't look up when I felt him slump down next to me but I could feel him next to me and I could tell he wasn't angry. I had been sitting with my head buried in my knees trying to hide from him if he'd come in angry. When I knew he hadn't come in angry I relaxed a little bit but not unwrapped myself from around my legs.

I wanted to ask him if he hated me. I wanted to ask him if he was going to send me away. I wanted to ask him if he was going to kill them.

Something held me back though. Some heavy tension between us that wouldn't allow either of us to start talking like we had in the past about everything. And in that moment, I realized that I'd been over thinking everything and still beating myself up over everything that had happened.

I felt Edward run his fingers down my arm igniting the electric current that we shared. I unwrapped my arms from my knees and jumped into Edward's arms. As soon as my arms were tightly coiled around his neck I felt his arms envelop me. I could feel him running his fingers through my hair and heard him inhaling deeply.

There was a long silence between us as I continued to hold on to him and he to me. Finally, I heard him swallow hard and whisper my name.

"Bella, everything is going to be okay. I'll fix this."

I nodded because I knew he was telling me what he knew he could do. I felt him run his hands over my shoulders and down to my waist. He hugged me tightly and leaned back causing me to lean back as well and finally look him in the eyes.

Edward stared into my eyes intensely. I wasn't sure what he was looking for and ask I was about to ask him he started to speak.

"Bella, I love you." My eyes grew wide but I didn't break from his gaze.

"What?" I was practically stuttering running those words over and over in my head.

"I know I haven't been doing a decent job of showing you. But ever since I found you you've had my attention and for the longest time now I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I fucking love you. And I don't want you to leave. I don't want anything to happen to you. Please tell me that you won't go away because I screwed this up."

My brain was still trying to catch up with his words as he spoke. I knew I felt the same way as he did but I think was too shocked to tell him right then and there.

"You don't have to say anything back except tell me that you're not leaving because of how much I messed protecting you up."

I shook my head 'no' to get him to stop talking. The look on his face was somewhere between shock and hurt as I'm sure he thought I was telling him 'no I'm going to go'. I knew I had to find the words to answer him.

"E…Edward. I'm not leaving. I don't want to leave. I…. I want to stay with you…I thought you were going to make me leave. I thought you were going to tell me you didn't want me to be with you anymore. I…I feel the same about you."

Edward cut me off from my rambling with a strong kiss. "God, Bella, it's good to hear you'll stay. I promise I'll make this better. I'm not going to let anybody hurt you." He hugged and kissed me again before pulling me to stand up next to him.

"Let's get ready for dinner. We can come back and talk about you naked in my bed after we see everyone."

I giggled and blushed. I hadn't been sure that I'd wanted to go to dinner after everything that had happened today. But after hearing that Edward didn't want me to leave and that he cared about me, no _loved_ me, I didn't want to separate myself from him unless I had to.

"Um, what should I wear, Edward?" I looked back to see Edward in his closet changing his shirt. He stepped out of the room while he buttoned his shirt up leaving half of his torso exposed. I couldn't help but think about how I'd had my hands on his wet, soapy flesh earlier in the morning. I could feel myself get excited just thinking about him. He smiled as soon as he saw where I was staring but walked passed me and pulled something out I'd not worn before.

"Alice suggested you wear this tonight. Apparently, we'll match."Edward pulled a grey dress out that looked like it was made of rough silk. It was a t-back dress that came down to my knees when I slipped into it.

"Can you zip this up for me, please?" I heard Edward 'mhmm' as he ran his hands down my back until they reached the zipper. He ran his knuckles up my spine as he closed the zipper. I could feel him lean in and run his nose against my ear.

"I'm going to enjoy peeling this off of you later tonight." I shuddered in a good way as his breath ran over my skin.

I was speechless as I felt him leave little kisses against my neck and shoulder.

"Are you two done in there!?! I'm hungry!!!" Emmett yelled from the living room and we both giggled. Edward hadn't removed himself from my neck before he started talking again. I could feel my knees start to buckle as he spoke again.

"I've got half a mind to keep you trapped in here all night. But he's always hungry and he whines like a little child if he doesn't get his ten meals a day."

I nodded and started to step into a pair of heels Alice had bought me. She'd promised that they wouldn't hurt my feet as much as some and that they'd look really good with any dress in my closet. I agreed but I wanted to know if Edward liked them too. They were black velvet platform pumps that had just a little peep toe In them and read leather running down the heel and under my toes.

I turned to look at him and gestured for him to survey my outfit. He pulled me into him and kissed my neck once again this time from the front.

"You're keeping those heels on when we get back." With that he took my hand and led me out to a very hungry looking Emmett.

"Let's go eat, I'm starving!! Bella, you okay?" I nodded and smiled. Emmett did always seem to be hungry. "Thank you for everything."

He nodded and led us out to Edward's mom's BMW. "We might as well drive it while we've got it. Emmett, get in the back."

We rode in relative silence until we got to a beautiful restaurant and found our friends.

"Edward, Bella, Emmett!!!" Alice, Jasper and Rose were all waiting for us at a huge round table covered with a crisp white table cloth. "It's so good to see you out and about, Bella." Jasper said as he sat back down when all the ladies were seated.

We ordered drinks and appetizers and shared small talk through dinner. Everything was delicious and throughout the meal Edward had made little gestures to let me know he was thinking about me like putting his arm behind my chair, leaning in and kissing my shoulder and caressing my hand as it rested on the table.

Each couple paid for their check and we started to walk out to the valet when I heard the loudest noise ever in front of me. Gunshots and broken glass rang out around me as Edward pulled me to him and then to the ground.

"Stay here Bella, do not get up until I tell you!" I didn't know what to say as I saw Edward and Emmett jump up and began shooting at a car that drove by us.

As they shot I heard tires squeal and the car crash into another car down the street. I didn't look to see the car or if the people in it were going to keep shooting. I could hear Edward and Emmett run towards the vehicle though and start yelling at someone.

Four loud gunshots rang out and then there was silence. My ears were ringing and my heart was pounding. I felt like I was going to throw up as images from the night I'd met Edward came rushing back.

Edward grabbed me and pulled me up firmly into his arms. I looked around to see if everyone was okay. Jasper was hugging Alice and Emmett was kissing Rose. I heard someone run out of the restaurant and started to duck again when Edward tightened his grip against me.

"Is everyone okay? The cops are on their way!"

Edward said something to the guy that had asked if we were okay but I couldn't hear him over my ringing ears. I felt him pull me towards the car and watched as he pulled the back door open and led me in. I'd expected him to climb in the front with Emmett but he climbed in the back and held on to me firmly. Rose climbed into the front passenger side and rested her hand on Emmett's leg as he drove fiercely through the city.

Neither of them said anything on the drive back to the apartment.

"Edward…who was that….that shot at us?" Rose sounded a little angry as she asked.

There was a long pause in his answer and her question and I started to wonder if he'd heard her when he finally spoke up.

"It was Mike and Laurent. And they're dead."

**A/N: I hoped you liked it. I wrote most of it on a plane flying back home.…**


	43. Chapter 40: Permission

**A/N: I don't own anything. And I typed this chapter really slow…**

EPOV

The car ride was silent back to the apartment. Rose and Bella sat in the back seat holding hands but looking at me and Emmett the entire time.

When the gun fire had broken out my first thought was that someone was there to leave a warning. But anyone that shot at me or Bella would pay the ultimate price.

Emmett and I had fired back enough times that the tires blew out on the car the shooters were driving. They'd crashed close enough to us that we ran to the car only to find a bloody Mike and Laurent looking like they were still in shock from the crash. I'd wanted to drag them out of the car and torture them for what they'd done, but Emmett suggested we just execute them. With the time we had, it was the best decision.

We put two bullets in each of their brains before walking back to where the girls and Jasper were standing. I didn't even fault Jasper for staying behind. I knew he wasn't armed and I knew he wouldn't have wanted to be involved in death like this any way.

We pulled up to the apartment and started to get out when my cell phone buzzed. It was Carlisle. Although I'd had the phone on vibrate, everyone else getting out of the car heard my phone and looked at me gravely. I answered while motioning for Bella to come towards me so I could hold on to her once more.

"Boss," I greeted. There wasn't really much more I needed to say to him. I knew why he was calling.

"Edward, I just got an emergency contact phone call from the morgue. What happened to Laurent and Mike? Why am I getting calls about them being dead?"

I hugged Bella hard thinking about how close I'd been to losing her earlier.

"There was an accident. They're both dead." I growled through my teeth at my boss over the phone. In response I heard him take a deep breath and sigh. There was a long pause between us speaking.

"Edward, is everyone alright?" when he spoke, he sounded like my uncle in that moment and I wondered all of a sudden if he hadn't put out a hit on me or Bella. "Mike called me earlier and said that he and Laurent had something important to tell me about a witness and that they had to run an errand. Do you know what they were talking about?"

Bella looked up at me as she must have heard what Carlisle said over the phone. Ten thousand pounds of worry and stress lifted from my shoulders as I realized he didn't really know about Bella from Mike and Laurent.

"Everyone is alright. Emmett and I took care of it. I don't know what they were coming to talk to you about though. They've been acting strangely lately."

I could hear Carlisle nodding and sighing. "Alright. Well I need to meet with you anyway. It's about the girl." I was confused and curious at the same time when he insisted that I go talk with him. I hugged Bella harder to me before I answered.

"That's fine. I need to drop something off and I'll be there for lunch. I need to talk to you too." Bella was looking up at me with question in her eyes as I hang up the phone.

"Edward? What's going on?" Bella and Emmett asked me at the same time. I looked down at Bella and then over at a very concerned looking Emmett.

"Carlisle wants a meeting. We'll take the girls upstairs and then we're going to go see him." Rose and Bella both looked at Emmett first and then me. I didn't want to explain to them why I'd made my decision in the parking garage. "C'mon…let's go."

I led Bella up to the apartment. Emmett and Rose followed. He and I walked in first and checked the place out before I let the girls enter.

Rose turned around and looked at me and I could tell she was pissed. "Edward, are you leaving to go see him now?" Rose _was _pissed.

I nodded. "We need to go find out if he put a hit on Bella as soon as possible." Bella gasped but didn't say anything. I hugged her tightly. I waited to see if either of the girls had any other questions before Emmett and I left to go see the boss.

Emmett kissed Rose and whispered something to her before walking to the door. I hugged Bella and leaned in to kiss her. "Bella, everything is going to be alright. I fuckin' promised you I'd watch out for you. I won't let anyone hurt you, baby. I'll be back in an hour." I ran my finger down her nose and kissed the tip of it as I repeated my promise to her.

Bella nodded and smiled. "I'll see you in an hour, Edward. I love you." Bella barely spoke the words as she said them, but I heard her loud and clear and couldn't help but smile.

"I love you too, baby." With that I walked out with Emmett to the car to see Carlisle.

When we pulled up to the restaurant Carlisle was sitting in we both let out a deep breath. I knew that this meeting could go one of two ways- either we could walk out of here and stay alive or we could walk out of here and end up dead within the week.

I walked in first and greeted Carlisle and then sat down next to him at his table. Emmett greeted him next and sat down next to me. The waiter brought in drinks and disappeared quickly. Neither of us started talking to Carlisle till the waiter left the room.

Carlisle took a deep breath looked at us both with a questioning look. "We have a few things to discuss today." Emmett and I nodded. "First off, did you leave any evidence at the scene?" We shook our heads. "I want the both of you to know that I didn't put the hit out on either of you."

"Did you put the hit out on Bella, then?" I practically snapped my question at Carlisle. He acted as if my snarky question was a run of the mill question, though.

"Edward, let me be clear, I didn't put a hit out on anyone you know in the last week." I was happy to hear his admission but I was still pissed off that there were no immediate words of regret for Mike and Laurent's stupid move.

"That brings me to my next matter that I want to discuss with you…the girl."

"You mean Bella." Emmett rolled his eyes as he spoke and chuckled. We both realized what he'd done as the words finished coming out of his mouth. Carlisle didn't make much of a facial expression at his comment.

"Yes, Bella…I've made my decision about her." Emmett and I looked at each other knowing that no matter what he said about her, we'd keep her alive. "Edward, you and Bella have my blessing to do what you will with each other."

I knew that Carlisle was aware of how attached to Bella Emmett and I were. And considering we'd come close enough to death today as we had, this was a wise decision on his part. Emmett and I nodded, smiled and mumbled 'good'.

"If you're happy with her, then I'll be happy with her. As your uncle and your boss."

Emmett and I didn't wait to hear anything else from Carlisle concerning Bella. We were ready to get back to the girls and wrap the day up with a little more success than it had started with.

**A/N: Hope you had a lotta turkey!! Sorry for this taking so long. I've been swamped with work and school and family life. I'll have the next chapter up much sooner. **


	44. Chapter 41: Long Term Plans

EPOV

As the elevator lifted us back up to the apartment Emmett checked his watch and started to swear. "We're fucking late by half 'n hour, E." I nodded. I knew we were late but I couldn't make Carlisle talk any faster or make his decisions any quicker than he did. "I bet the girls are going to be fucking pissed."

I nodded and smirked. If the girls were pissed, we could handle that. Hell, with Rose, we were used to that. The elevator dinged and we walked quickly to the apartment. I unlocked the door and walked in to find Rose and Bella on the couch hugging. My ears perked up as soon as I heard Bella sniffle and realized she was crying. Immediately my internal alarm started to go off and Emmett pulled his gun out.

"Bella? Rose? What's going on? What's wrong?" I walked quickly to the girls as I asked them what the problem was.

Rose looked up at me with fierce eyes. "You guys were fucking late and Bella started to panic. She thought something happened to you and blamed herself."

Bella was still hiding her face as Rose explained what the drama was all about. I reached out and started to rub Bella's arm to let her know I was finally home. As she lifted her head I could see that her eyes were red and puffy. Fuck she was beautiful even when she was lookin' like a drama queen.

"Bella, beautiful, I'm here, everything's okay. Come here, baby." I reached out to hug her and took her in my arms. Rose stood up and quickly walked to Emmett and hugged him fiercely.

I barely heard her when she started to talk because her face was buried in my chest, but Bella started to unload about why she was crying without me even asking. "Edward, I was so worried that something happened with Carlisle. That he hurt you because they came after me or that he found out who I was or that…that…" she started to bawl harder. I hugged her tighter and turned to look at Emmett and Rose. They were still hugging but looking at Bella with worried faces.

Rose elbowed Emmett and then looked back at us. Emmett cleared his throat and mumbled something about them being back later that evening with food but that they were leaving to go to Rose's house for a while.

Bella nodded and I waved them off without saying much. I wanted to do nothing more than comfort Bella and make sure she was well aware that everything would be okay now that Carlisle had sent down his approval of Bella.

As soon as I heard the door lock behind us I sat Bella down on my lap and started to brush her hair out of her face. She was still sniffling but had calmed considerably since I'd come in the apartment.

"Bella, I'm okay, I'm here baby. I'm sorry I was late- Carlisle had some important shit to settle with us." She nodded. I sighed.

"What did he say?" she was practically whispering her question.

I smiled immediately because I had good news to tell her. I leaned in to kiss her catching her off guard making me smile even more.

"Carlisle gave us his blessing, baby. Do you know what that means?" I waited to see if she truly understood what it meant to get his blessing- how many levels that cleared from our stressed out fucking lives.

"Does that mean we can be together?" Bella's eyes were huge and hopeful as she asked. "And be public about it?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her adorable hopefulness.

"Bella, it means you can walk down the street and feel safe. It means we can be together forever baby."

We both smiled. "Forever?" Bella asked as her cheeks flushed.

"So I wanted to ask you about that…" I suddenly got nervous about our conversation, but it needed to be said. "This is the first time I've ever been in love. And even if we didn't have his blessing, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"You do?" Bella practically stuttered her question out.

I nodded and smiled.

"Bella, I know it's too soon to ask you to marry me…I'm not trying to be a creep like that after knowing you a couple of months…and I don't have a ring or any shit like that, but know that I want to spend every moment of the rest of my life with you. So…yeah….will you be my girl?"

This time Bella nodded and smiled. She reached her arms out and kissed me fiercely as she wrapped her legs and arms around me pushing me back into the couch.

BPOV

I had been so worried about Edward when he left that I broke down in front of Rose like a wimp. Edward and Emmett had been gone longer than he had promised and then I started to panic…I was a mess.

I was convinced that we were going to get a call telling us that there had been another "accident" and that Edward wouldn't walk through that door.

But he did.

And when he told me he wanted to stay with me, and more-so, he wanted me to be his girl, I couldn't help but tackle him.

I wrapped myself around him and started kissing him out of sheer excitement. As we kissed I felt his hands wrap around my thighs and then my butt. He pulled me into him and hugged me tighter.

"Edward, I…love…you." I peppered his neck and shoulders with kisses as I whispered to him. He groaned back as I continued to kiss him. I could feel my body warm under his touch as his hands moved from my backside to my hips and then up to my chest.

"Fuck, Bella, I want to take you in the bedroom." As I felt his stubble covered chin rub against my collar bone my brain stopped producing strings of words and I just moaned my answer and nodded my head against his.

Edward reached down and grabbed me by the thighs holding me to his hips as he stood up from the couch. I grasped his neck tighter as he started to walk us towards the bedroom.

"Don't worry baby, I won't let you fall."

I giggled as he continued to kiss me and bump into things on our way towards the bedroom. Edward pushed us through the door and kicked it shut with his foot. The entire trip he kept kissing me and groaning as we made out.

When he bumped against the bed he sat down and held me on top of him holding me tightly against his now very apparent erection. He groaned again as I shifted against him to straddle his hips.

Edward started to take my shirt off as I fumbled with his buttons. Once he had my shirt off he pulled my bra off and started pawing at my chest. I couldn't help but throw my head back when he started licking and nibbling my nipples.

"Bella, you're fucking amazing." Edward continued to kiss and nibble my skin as I unbuttoned his pants and he moved his hands to unbutton and push mine down.

I one quick move he rolled me over, stood up and started to pull my pants off leaving me in my panties. Edward pushed his pants and boxers off exposing him completely at the edge of the bed. He leaned over me again and started to slowly pull my panties off as he kissed each inch of my skin as they traveled towards my ankles.

As he kissed back up he slowly pulled my knees apart and kissed the inside of my thighs up to my belly button. I whimpered. I knew in that moment I wanted all of him.

"Edward, I want to feel you…all of you." I panted as the words came out making me sound unsure but I was positive that this was what I wanted.

"I'll go slow and if I hurt you, tell me, okay?" Edward was dead serious as he spoke. I nodded that I understood him.

He unwrapped and rolled on a condom before kissing me again and moving his hips closer to me.

EPOV

I wasn't sure she understood that what we were about to do could potentially hurt her and kill the mood. But as soon as she nodded I jumped back into kissing her.

I lined myself up with her and started to push myself in. Fuck she was tight. Bella wrapped her legs around my hips pulling me into her. When I felt her stiffen as I pushed myself in to the hilt, I froze my hips. I tried to kiss her neck and chin to make sure she knew I would wait till she was ready.

Bella nodded her head and reached behind me to pull me closer again.

"Bella, I want to make you feel amazing, but I need to know you're okay right now, that you're not in any pain."

Looking her in the eye I knew she was overwhelmed but she didn't look hurt. She nodded and flashed those beautiful brown eyes at me before kissing me again. I started pumping in and out of her feeling her tighten around me as I pushed back in with each thrust.

Bella started to whimper louder and pant. She was clawing at my shoulders and arms holding on as I pumped in and out of her.

BPOV

Edward felt amazing. He pushed and pulled out of me each time leaving me with a feeling of pure bliss. I could feel my entire body matching up and squeezing him as he entered me. I couldn't help but try and hold myself as close to his body as possible.

I felt his hands move from my hips down to my ass as he leaned forward and pushed into me harder and started pumping faster. He buried his face in my shoulder and I felt him kissing me as he started to breathe harder.

"Bella, I'm gonna come." I felt him reach down between us and start to rub my clit as he'd done with his tongue before and I couldn't help but moan loudly.

"Me…..too." I managed to squeak out.

Edward started pumping harder and I started squeezing him more. The feeling of him pushing in and out of me was overwhelming. I tensed up feeling my whole body coming to an edge before being pushed over with one last thrust.

We both moaned as we came in each other's arms.

EPOV

As I spilled into her I felt my entire body relax and release all the tension I'd been carrying around since I'd found her in that back alley.

This woman was incredible. She was beautiful. She was kind. She was brave and fierce. I loved her. And in that moment I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with her.

**The End. **

**A/N: SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY!**

**For taking so damn long to write this last chapter!!! Life has pretty much kicked my ass these last couple of months (weeks?) I haven't been keeping track. I know you probably didn't want it to end there but I felt the story was over. Many of you thought that Carlisle was being shady- he wasn't. It was my intention for him to come around before the end of the story anyway. **

**When I started this story I mentioned that I'd written another story before but it wasn't fan fiction. I've decided to adapt it and will begin writing it/posting it later this month. **

**Thank you to everyone that's read this, reviewed it and emailed me asking questions about it. I know I started writing this story because it was in my head, but I finished it because I really loved hearing from reviewers/readers about their likes and dislikes. You've made writing this fun and exciting!!! **

**Please keep in touch and email me with any fic rec's you've got…I'm highly addicted to a few of them already. Take care!!**

**-R **


	45. Chapter 42: Sequel Now Up!

**A/N: There is a sequel up now for Survival of the Fittest. For anyone interested in reading it… please leave a review if you do!**


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